name, noun, verb ·Very common ·Middle school level
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"I am a big fan of libraries."
"1 chek (foot) = 14⅝ English inches divided into 10 tsün (inches) and each tsün into ten fan or tenths."
"He didn't switch on the fan because the temperature was 15 degrees Celsius."
""If I cannot be of service, then I certainly don't wish to impose," said McGinty, with a quick fan of breeze that indicated a sweeping bow."
"The oxen likewise and the yong asses that eare the ground, shall eate cleane prouender which hath bene winnowed with the shouell and with the fanne."
"We enjoyed standing at the edge of the cliff, being fanned by the wind."
"Part of it was that as much as I respected filial devotion and as much as I liked Sarah Barstow, it would have been a real satisfaction to put her across my knees and pull up her skirts and giver^([sic]) her a swell fanning, for not taking a look at that driver."
"I attempted to fan the disagreeable odour out of the room."
"To fan a single action revolver, hold down the trigger and strike the hammer repeatedly with a free hand."
"She comes, to fan my ardour, She kills me with her kisses."
"By the first article, these fanning mills were appointed to be sent to the proprietors of the mills of Sault-à-la puce, Petit-Pré, Beauport, Pointe de Lévy, St. Nicolas and Ste. Famille in the isle of Orleans " to have all the wheat in general of whatever quality sent to these mills passed and fanned, before converting them into flour.""
"Fanning the brakes results in the gradual depletion of the pressure in the cars' brake reservoirs, which can eventually cause a loss of all braking."
"I see now what brings you about our house so much. You want to get hold of Fan and her business and little savings for yourself, do you?"
"In a report boasting of the rich supply of commodities in Fan County of Honan Province , the Peiping Ta Kung Pao of 1 December 1965 pointed out: “ Within 10 days before the autumn festival of this year, the commercial organs in Fan County[...]"
"Tim is a huge fan of satirical comedy."
A hand-held device consisting of concertinaed material, or slats of material, gathered together at one end, that may be opened out into the shape of a sector of a circle and waved back and forth in order to move air towards oneself and cool oneself.
Common synonyms include: admirer, buff, devotee, enthusiast, rooter, abettor.
Tim is a huge fan of satirical comedy.
Pronounced /fæn/.
Inherited from Middle English fan, inherited from Old English fann (“a winnowing, fan”), derived from Latin vannus (“fan for winnowing grain”), derived from Proto-Indo-European *h₂weh₁- (“to blow”). Cognates *Latin ventus (“wind”) *Dutch wan (“winnowing basket”) *German Wanne (“winnowing basket”) *Swedish vanna (“a fan for winnowing”) *Old English windwian (“to fan, winnow”). More at winnow.
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁- Proto-Indo-European *-s Proto-Indo-European *dʰéh₁s Proto-Italic *faznom Latin fānum Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-tós Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂tos Proto-Italic *-ātos Latin -ātus Proto-Indo-European *-kos Proto-Italic *-kos Latin -cus Latin -icus Latin -āticus Latin fānāticuslbor. ▲ French fanatiqueinflu. English fanatic English fancyinflu. English fan Clipping of fanatic, originally in US baseball slang. Possibly influenced by fancy (“group of sport or hobby enthusiasts”), i.e. fancy boy (“fan”).
From Cantonese 分. Doublet of fen and hoon.
Shortening of Fanny, itself a short form of Frances.
From Mandarin 范 (Fàn).