ˈshän, ˈshan noun
( plural shan or shans )
Usage: usually capitalized
1.
a. : a group of Mongoloid peoples of the Tai stock of southern China, Assam, Burma, and Thailand who vary in civilization from savagery to a Buddhistic culture equal to that of the Thai
b. : a member of such people
2. : the Thai language of the Shan people