fləˈbeləm noun
( plural flabel·la -elə)
Etymology: Late Latin, from Latin, fan, diminutive of flabrum breeze, from flare to blow — more at blow
1. : a ceremonial fan:
a. : a fan used in religious ceremonies
b. : a fan displayed on state occasions among the appurtenances of certain dignitaries (as a pope or formerly a bishop or royal personage)
2.
[New Latin, from Latin]
: a body organ or part that resembles a fan: as
a. : the epipodite of certain limbs of crustaceans
b. : the proximal exite of the limb of a branchiopod