fan

¹

[ fan ]

noun

1. any device for producing a current of air by the movement of a broad surface or a number of such surfaces.
2. an implement of feathers, leaves, paper, cloth, etc., often in the shape of a long triangle or of a semicircle, for waving lightly in the hand to create a cooling current of air about a person:

   We sat on the veranda, cooling ourselves with palm-leaf fans.

3. anything resembling such an implement, as the tail of a bird.
4. any of various devices consisting essentially of a series of radiating vanes or blades attached to and revolving with a central hublike portion to produce a current of air:

   ceiling fan; wall fan.

5. a series of revolving blades supplying air for winnowing or cleaning grain.
6. Horology. fly ²( def 28 ).
7. a semicircular decoration of bunting.
8. Physical Geography. an alluvial fan.

verb (used with object)

, fanned, fan·ning.

1. to move or agitate (the air) with or as if with a fan.
2. to cause air to blow upon, as from a fan; cool or refresh with or as if with a fan:

   He fanned his face with a newspaper.

3. to stir to activity with or as if with a fan:

   to fan a flame; to fan emotions.

4. (of a breeze, current of air, etc.) to blow upon, as if driven by a fan:

   A cool breeze fanned the shore.

5. to spread out like a fan:

   The dealer fanned the cards.

6. Informal. to move (oneself ) quickly:

   You'll fan your tail out of here if you know what's good for you.

7. Agriculture. to winnow, especially by an artificial current of air.
8. Baseball. (of a pitcher) to strike out (a batter).
9. Chiefly South Midland and Southern U.S. to punish by spanking; spank:

   Your mother will fan you good if you break that dish.

verb (used without object)

, fanned, fan·ning.

1. to strike, swing, or brush lightly at something.
2. Western U.S. (chiefly cowboy use). to slap the flanks of (a horse or other animal) repeatedly with a hat to get it to move or move faster.
3. to spread out like a fan (often followed by out ):

   The forest fire fanned out in all directions.

4. Baseball. (of a batter) to strike out, usually by swinging at and missing the pitch charged as the third strike.

fan

²

[ fan ]

noun

1. an enthusiastic devotee, follower, or admirer of a sport, pastime, celebrity, etc.:

   a baseball fan; a great fan of Charlie Chaplin.

   Synonyms: addict, booster, partisan, enthusiast, supporter

Fan

³

[ fan, fahn ]

noun

, plural Fans, (especially collectively) Fan.

1. Fang.

fan

¹

/ fæn /

noun

1. 1. any device for creating a current of air by movement of a surface or number of surfaces, esp a rotating device consisting of a number of blades attached to a central hub
   2. a machine that rotates such a device
2. any of various hand-agitated devices for cooling onself, esp a collapsible semicircular series of flat segments of paper, ivory, etc
3. something shaped like such a fan, such as the tail of certain birds
4. agriculture
   1. a kind of basket formerly used for winnowing grain
   2. a machine equipped with a fan for winnowing or cleaning grain

verb

1. to cause a current of air, esp cool air, to blow upon, as by means of a fan

   to fan one's face

2. to agitate or move (air, smoke, etc) with or as if with a fan
3. to make fiercer, more ardent, etc

   fan one's passion

4. also introften foll byout to spread out or cause to spread out in the shape of a fan
5. 1. to fire (an automatic gun) continuously by keeping the trigger depressed
   2. to fire (a nonautomatic gun) several times by repeatedly chopping back the hammer with the palm
6. to winnow (grain) by blowing the chaff away from it

fan

²

/ fæn /

noun

1. an ardent admirer of a pop star, film actor, football team, etc
2. a devotee of a sport, hobby, etc

Derived Forms

• ˈfanner, noun
• ˈfanlike, adjective

Other Words From

• fanlike adjective
• fanner noun
• un·fanned adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of fan¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English, Old English fann, from Latin vannus “winnowing basket”

Origin of fan²

An Americanism dating back to 1885–90; short for fanatic

Word History and Origins

Origin of fan¹

Old English fann , from Latin vannus

Origin of fan²

C17, re-formed C19: from fan ( atic )

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. hit the fan, Slang. to become suddenly more awkward, embarrassing, or troublesome: shit ( def 26 ).

   When news of the incident was leaked to the press, everything hit the fan at once.

More idioms and phrases containing fan

In addition to the idiom beginning with fan , also see shit will hit the fan .

Example Sentences

In his statement, Stepien called the Big Ten’s decision “huge news, not just for college football fans, but for all Americans looking for key indicators that we can reopen our society and our economy, and do so safely.”

From Washington Post

With fans unable to experience in-venue activations, many sponsors have also ramped up their activations on social media.

From Digiday

Even though they make money off the service through sponsorships and donations from fans, they make sure not to get too attached.

From Fortune

Most chips today are cooled by using thermal materials to transfer heat from components to a large metal heat sink that dissipates the energy to the air, possible with the help of a fan.

From Singularity Hub 

Suffice it to say Strzok is not a fan of the 45th President of the United States.

From Fortune

We haven't had any real fan reaction yet, but our collective fingers are crossed.

From The Daily Beast

Why do you think you were “an asperg-y movie fan…a jabbering repellent acolyte?”

From The Daily Beast

Replying to a fan, she wrote, “Anthony Goldstein, Ravenclaw, Jewish wizard.”

From The Daily Beast

Comments like that are designed to stoke the fires of fan-passion—and it works beautifully.

From The Daily Beast

It is the most animated this Downton Abbey fan has ever seen Lady Grantham.

From The Daily Beast

She took the fan from Madame Ratignolle and began to fan both herself and her companion.

From Project Gutenberg

She bathed Madame Ratignolle's face with cologne, while Robert plied the fan with unnecessary vigor.

From Project Gutenberg

Rarely, sodium urate occurs in crystalline form—slender prisms, arranged in fan- or sheaf-like structures (Fig. 32).

From Project Gutenberg

She opened a large black fan and moved it slowly while looking intently at her son's bent profile.

From Project Gutenberg

In one, which occurs not infrequently, a thickened arm is made to expand into something like a fan-shaped hand, as in Fig. 18.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• admirer
• buff
• devotee
• follower
• lover
• supporter

More About Fan

Where does fan come from?

Is the word fan, as in a device with rotating blades, related in any way to a fan, as in an enthusiastic devotee? Whether in cooling a room or cheering for a team, both fans do move a lot of air, as it were. But no, these senses of fan come from very different—though equally fantastic—roots.

Fan, the device

Let’s start with fan in the sense of “any device for producing a current of air.” This fan is very old, recorded in English before 900. It comes from the Old English, fann, directly from the Latin vannus, a “winnowing basket.”

Winnowing basket? This calls for a lesson in agricultural history. A winnowing basket is a type of broad, shallow basket used to winnow, that is, to free grain from lighter particles of chaff, dirt, and the like. This can be done, as shown in the video below, by tossing the grain, allowing the wind or a forced current of air to blow away the chaff and any impurities.

<iframe loading="lazy" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/nuYYI0DLgkA" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>

A winnowing basket is what fan originally meant in English. The word fan expanded to refer to other kinds of devices used to blow away chaff. By association with the movement of air involved in winnowing, fan further expanded to name various devices for generating currents of air, especially for cooling and ventilation.

Fan, the devotee 

Now, onto to that other fan, the kind that fills arenas for sporting and music events. This fan is “an enthusiastic devotee, follower, or admirer of a sport, pastime, celebrity, or similar.” It was shortened from fanatic, “a person with an extreme and uncritical enthusiasm or zeal, as in religion or politics.”

A fan is passionate, yes, but compared to a fanatic, the connotation of the word fan is generally much less extreme and uncritical. Fan was first recorded in American English around 1885–90. Early uses of fan refer to baseball die-hards before spreading to all sorts of other ardent followers.

Dig deeper

The word fanatic has an interesting origin of its own. Entering English around 1515–25, fanatic derives from the Latin fānāticus, “pertaining to a temple.” Fānāticus came to refer to people seen as “frantic” and “enthusiastic”—people thought to be inspired by a divinity or orgiastic rites. Fānāticus is based on the noun fānum, “temple, sanctuary.” Discover more at profane.

Did you know ... ?

Fan, as in “enthusiastic devotee,” has inspired many compound words and phrases. Explore the continuing evolution of the word fan at the following entries:

• fan base
• fanboy
• fandom
• fanfic
• fangirl
• fan letter
• fan mail

A true word fan? Learn more about a slang term for a “very zealous fan”: stan.