I. ˈwän also ˈwȯn adjective
( wanner ; wannest )
Etymology: Middle English, from Old English wann, wan dark, gloomy, livid
1. archaic : dark , dusky : lead-colored
wan water
2.
a. : suggesting poor health : sickly , pallid
a wan complexion
b. : lacking human vitality : feeble
a wan personality
3.
a. : dim , lusterless
wan stars
b. : barely perceptible : faint
a wan light
4. : showing little effort : languid
a wan laugh
5. : tending toward or suggestive of failure or incompetence : ineffectual
wan efforts
II. verb
( wanned ; wanned ; wanning ; wans )
intransitive verb
: to grow or become pale or sickly
transitive verb
: to make wan : cause to appear pale or sickly
III. noun
( -s )
: paleness , pallor
IV. ˈwän also ˈwȯn
dialect
variant of one