FAN


Meaning of FAN in English

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

Webster's New International English Dictionary.      Новый международный словарь английского языка Webster.