I. ˈfan, ˈfaa(ə)n noun
( -s )
Usage: often attributive
Etymology: Middle English, from Old English fann, from Latin vannus — more at winnow
1.
a. : a basket or wooden shovel formerly used for tossing grain into the air to let the chaff be blown away
b. : any of various devices for winnowing grain
2. : an instrument or device for producing an artificial current of air (as by a wafting or revolving motion of a broad surface): as
a. : a device for cooling the person usually having the form of a segment of a circle and consisting of material (as feathers, paper, or silk) mounted on thin rods or slats moving about a pivot so that the device may be closed compactly when not in use
b. : any revolving vane used for producing a current of air (as in blowing a fire or ventilating a room or for governing rapid rotary motion by the resistance of the air)
c. : a fan wheel revolved to cool the radiator of an automobile engine
d. : a fly that controls the striking mechanism of a clock
e. : one of the small vanes on a smock windmill that receive the impulse of the wind and are so located as to keep the large sails in the direction of the wind
f. slang : an aircraft propeller
3. : something felt to resemble an open fan: as
a. : a fan-shaped leaf (as of certain palms)
b. : the wing of a bird
c. : the tail of a bird
d. : any of several fan-shaped architectural members ; especially : fanlight
e. : a gently sloping fan-shaped body of detritus commonly at a place where there is a notable decrease in gradient ; usually : one deposited by a stream : alluvial fan
II. verb
( fanned ; fanned ; fanning ; fans )
Etymology: Middle English fannen, from Old English fannian, from fann, n.
transitive verb
1.
a. : to separate and drive away the chaff of (grain) by means of a current of air
b. : to eliminate (as chaff) by winnowing
2. : to move or impel (air) with or as if with a fan
3. : to blow or breathe upon
the breeze fanned her hair
4. : to direct a current of air upon with or as if with a fan: as
a. : to cool and refresh by moving the air with a fan
fanned her perspiring face
b. : to drive or scare with or as if with a fan
fan away the smoke with a newspaper
c. : to force or seek to force to glow or flame up by a draft of air
fanning the coals into a brisk blaze
d. : to stir up to activity as if by fanning : stimulate
this conduct fanned his rage
they tried to fan our interest with coy hints
5. archaic : to move to and fro like a fan : wave
6. slang : beat , tan , whip
7.
a. : to spread like a fan — often used with out
fanning out the cards in his hand
b. : to spread (as the leaves of an unbound book) with one edge of each element extending slightly beyond the next — often used with out, sometimes with over or up
8. slang : to feel (a person's clothing) in order to locate prospective loot ; broadly : to search or examine (as a person or place)
the guards found a gun when they fanned the cell block
routinely fanning him for weapons
9. : to strike (a batter) out in baseball or softball
10. : to fire (a revolver) by squeezing the trigger and striking the hammer to the rear with the free hand thereby rotating the cylinder so that a new cartridge is detonated when it lines up with the firing pin
intransitive verb
1. : to move like a fan : flap , flutter
muslin curtains fanning in the breeze
white butterflies were fanning on the goldenrod
2. : to spread like a fan — often used with out
the glacial debris fanned out over the slope
picnickers fan out along each highway
3.
a. : to drift gently as if in a current of air produced by a fan
b. dialect : to move briskly : hustle
4. of a batter : to strike out in a baseball or softball game
III. (|)fan, _fən
Scotland
variant of when
IV. ˈfan, ˈfaa(ə)n
variant of fen
V.
Usage: usually capitalized
variant of fang
VI. ˈfan, ˈfaa(ə)n noun
( -s )
Usage: often attributive
Etymology: probably short for fanatic
1. : an enthusiastic devotee of a sport (as baseball) or diversion (as ballet) usually as a spectator rather than a participant
2. : an ardent admirer or champion (as of a person, technique, or pursuit) : enthusiast
the president's thousands of ardent fans
camera fans
science-fiction fans
fan clubs