Definitions

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A combining-form used, in organic chemistry, to indicate that two radicals are on opposite sides of the plane of union of two carbon atoms, or on opposite sides of the plane of the ring in a cyclic compound. It is, therefore, complementary to cis-. Thus maleic acid is a cis-derivative, and fumaric acid a trans-compound
  • noun An abbreviation of transactions, translated or translator, transpose, transitive, etc.
  • noun A prefix of Latin origin, meaning ‘across, over, beyond, on the other side of, through,’ as in transfer, ‘carry over,’ transfuse, ‘pour over,’ transgress, ‘pass beyond,’ etc., transalpine, ‘beyond the Alps,’ etc. (in the last use opposed to cis-).

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • A prefix, signifying over, beyond, through and through, on the other side, as in transalpine, beyond the Alps; transform, to form through and through, that is, anew, transfigure.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • prefix Across, through, over, beyond, to or on the other side of, outside of.
  • prefix chemistry Describing a compound in which two atoms or groups are situated on opposite sides of some plane of symmetry passing through the compound.

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Latin trāns ("across, on the far side, beyond").

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Examples

  • The carrier said its long-haul business is stable, with "strength in the premium sector," and the melding of trans- Atlantic schedules between BA, Iberia and American is beginning to grab market share, Walsh said today on the conference call.

    BusinessWeek.com -- Top News 2011

  • Growth in Baltic volumes is being led by demand for trans- shipment, in which cargo to and from less-developed harbors is sent via west-European ports served by bigger vessels with a greater variety of long-distance routes.

    BusinessWeek.com -- Top News 2011

  • Growth in Baltic volumes is being led by demand for trans- shipment, in which cargo to and from less-developed harbors is sent via west-European ports served by bigger vessels with a greater variety of long-distance routes.

    BusinessWeek.com -- Top News 2011

  • Even if sexual orientation were a choice, aren’t we a country where we’re supposed to be free to pursue our happiness, whether we’re hetero-, homo-, bi-, trans-, or even a-sexual?

    The God Box Alex Sanchez 2007

  • Even if sexual orientation were a choice, aren’t we a country where we’re supposed to be free to pursue our happiness, whether we’re hetero-, homo-, bi-, trans-, or even a-sexual?

    The God Box Alex Sanchez 2007

  • And an instant later, Si Cwan’s and Zak Kebron’s bodies dissipated as the miraculous trans- porter beams kicked in, sending their molecules hurtling through the darkness of space to be reassembled in the place that was their only hope for survival: the science vessel Kayven Ryin.

    Star Trek® New Frontier Peter David 1997

  • And an instant later, Si Cwan’s and Zak Kebron’s bodies dissipated as the miraculous trans- porter beams kicked in, sending their molecules hurtling through the darkness of space to be reassembled in the place that was their only hope for survival: the science vessel Kayven Ryin.

    Star Trek® New Frontier Peter David 1997

  • And an instant later, Si Cwan’s and Zak Kebron’s bodies dissipated as the miraculous trans- porter beams kicked in, sending their molecules hurtling through the darkness of space to be reassembled in the place that was their only hope for survival: the science vessel Kayven Ryin.

    Star Trek® New Frontier Peter David 1997

  • And an instant later, Si Cwan’s and Zak Kebron’s bodies dissipated as the miraculous trans- porter beams kicked in, sending their molecules hurtling through the darkness of space to be reassembled in the place that was their only hope for survival: the science vessel Kayven Ryin.

    Star Trek® New Frontier Peter David 1997

  • And an instant later, Si Cwan’s and Zak Kebron’s bodies dissipated as the miraculous trans- porter beams kicked in, sending their molecules hurtling through the darkness of space to be reassembled in the place that was their only hope for survival: the science vessel Kayven Ryin.

    Star Trek® New Frontier Peter David 1997

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