The definition of the word fan

A fan or fanatic, sometimes also termed an aficionado or enthusiast, is a person who exhibits strong interest or admiration for something or somebody, such as a celebrity, a sport, a sports team, a genre, a politician, a book, a movie, a video game or an entertainer. Collectively, the fans of a particular object or person constitute its fanbase or fandom. They may show their enthusiasm in a variety of ways, such as by promoting the object of their interest, being members of a related fan club, holding or participating in fan conventions or writing fan mail. They may also engage in creative activities («fan labor») such as creating fanzines, writing fan fiction, making memes or drawing fan art.

Etymology[edit]

Merriam-Webster, the Oxford dictionary and other sources define «fan» as a shortened version of the word fanatic. Fanatic itself, introduced into English around 1550, means «marked by excessive enthusiasm and often intense uncritical devotion». It comes from the Modern Latin fanaticus, meaning «insanely but divinely inspired».^[1] The word originally pertained to a temple or sacred place [Latin fanum, poetic English fane]. The modern sense of «extremely zealous» dates from around 1647; the use of fanatic as a noun dates from 1650. However, the term «fancy» for an intense liking of something (a usage attested by 1545),^[2] while being of a different etymology, coincidentally carries a less intense but somewhat similar connotation to «fanatic». Use of «the fancy» to mean avid sports enthusiasts emerged as an Americanism in the mid-19th century.^[3] The Dickson Baseball Dictionary cites William Henry Nugent’s work asserting that it was derived from the fancy, a term referring to the fans of a specific hobby or sport from the early 18th century to the 19th, especially to the followers of boxing.^[4] According to that theory, it was originally shortened to fance then just to the homonym fans.^{[failed verification]} The Great American Baseball Scrapbook attributes the term to Chris Von der Ahe, owner of the Saint Louis Brown Stockings in 1882. Von der Ahe sold tickets for 25 cents, hoping the many patrons would purchase his beer; the low ticket price helped him lead the stats in attendance. He called the fanatics filling his stands «fans».^[5]

Supporter is a synonym to «fan» that predates the latter term and is still commonly used in British English,^[6] especially to denote fans of sports teams. However, the term «fan» has become popular throughout the English-speaking world, including the United Kingdom. The term supporter is also used in a political sense in the United States, to a fan of a politician, a political party, and a controversial issue.

Characteristics[edit]

Fans usually have a strong enough interest that some changes in their lifestyles are made to accommodate devotion to the focal object.^[7] Fans have a desire for external involvement – they are motivated to demonstrate their involvement with the area of interest through certain behaviors (attending conventions, posting online, displaying team banners outside their homes, etc.). Fans often have a «wish to acquire» material objects related to the area of interest, such as a baseball hit by a famous slugger or a used guitar pick from their musical hero. As well, some fans have a desire for social interaction with other fans.^[8] This again may take many forms, from casual conversation, e-mail, chat rooms, and electronic mailing lists to regular face-to-face meetings such as fan club meetings and organized conventions.

There are several groups of fans that can be differentiated by the intensity level of their level of involvement or interest in the hobby (level of fanaticism)^[9] The likelihood for a subject of interest to be elevated to the level of fandom appears to be dictated by its complexity. Complexity allows further involvement of fans for a longer period of time because of the time needed to work the subject of interest ‘out.’ It also contributes to a greater sense of belonging because of the mental effort invested in the subject.^{[citation needed]}

Fan culture[edit]

Types[edit]

Celebrities[edit]

These fans will often hold a crush on a major movie star, pop star, athlete or celebrity (see teen idol). The groupie is an example, a fan of a particular band or musician, who will follow them on concert tours. The degree of devotion to celebrities can range from a simple crush to the deluded belief that they have a special relationship with the star which does not exist. In extreme cases, this can lead to celebrity worship syndrome, stalking behavior. This can easily switch to hatred of the previously loved celebrity, and result in attempts at violent attacks, one notable incident being the death of Rebecca Schaeffer by a stalking fan in 1989.

This is somewhat related to the concept of parasocial interaction where audiences develop one-sided relationships with media characters and celebrities.

Not all fans have a crush on their idols. There are also fans who want to become their friends or respect an idol’s relationship. In fact, there are fans who idolize their celebrity couples.

Gaming[edit]

Further information: Gamers

Gaming fans, or «gamers», are fans focused on playing non-sport games, usually role-playing games, board games, miniature wargames, collectible card games or video games.

Music[edit]

Music fans can differ somewhat from fans of particular musicians, in that they may focus on a genre of music. Many of the trade journals around music, such as Rolling Stone, were created by music fans. A notable music fan was groupie Cynthia Plaster Caster, famous for making numerous plaster casts of rock stars’ penises. Another was Pamela Des Barres, author of the book I’m With The Band. Fans who are not groupies prefer the term supporter. In the 1960s, the extreme frenzy of music fans surrounding the Beatles became known as Beatlemania.^[10] In 2019, Billboard observed that popular musicians such as Tyler, the Creator had leveraged the power of fans to drive digital downloads using merchandise bundles.^[11] Similarly, GQ recognized Vampire Weekend for their commitment to extensive band merchandising for dedicated fans.^[12]

Musicals[edit]

Popular musicals have their own particular sets of fans. Rent has boasted a sizable number of ‘Rentheads’ since its Broadway debut.^[13][14] Similarly, fans devoted to The Phantom of the Opera have been dubbed ‘Phans’.^[15] In 2018, Playbill included The Phantom of the Opera in its list of the «Top 10 Musical Fandoms» of the year.^[16]

Otaku[edit]

Further information: Otaku

Otaku is a Japanese term for people with obsessive interests. In Japan, the term is normally derogatory, a connotation lacking in English, where it generally refers to people in the anime and manga fandom.

Politics[edit]

People who approve of or associate themselves with certain politicians or political groups are generally called «supporters» rather than «fans», although there are politicians with official or unofficial «fan clubs». Intense and organized support for a politician may be referred to as a personality cult, particularly in authoritarian or totalitarian regimes.

Professional wrestling[edit]

Fans of professional wrestling can be divided into two groups: marks and smarks. Derived from the same term for the prey of conmen, a mark is a fan who believes that everything associated with professional wrestling is real. In contrast, a «smark» is a fan who recognizes that they are witnessing a stage-managed work («kayfabe»), but appreciates it nonetheless, including its backstage aspects.

Science fiction[edit]

Since the 1920s, an increasingly elaborate sub-culture of organized science fiction fandom has arisen, initially among correspondents to the letter columns of science fiction magazines. This non-centralized movement has given birth to science fiction fanzines (and amateur press associations), science fiction conventions, the Hugo Awards (and various imitators/derivatives), filk music, «fan funds» such as the Trans Atlantic Fan Fund, and a variety of other institutions, jargon and customs. It has nurtured writers and artists such as Ray Bradbury, Roger Ebert, Lenny Kaye, Michael Moorcock and Trina Robbins; and has generated such spin-offs as comic book fandom, media fandom, the Society for Creative Anachronism, gaming fandom, and furry fandom, sometimes collectively referred to as «fringe fandoms».

Science fiction fandom developed its own slang, known as fanspeak after the «Newspeak» of the novel Nineteen Eighty-four. Fanspeak is made up of acronyms, blended words, obscure in-jokes, puns, coinages from science fiction novels or films, and archaic or standard English words used in specific ways relevant or amusing to the science fiction community. Some fanspeak terms, like fanzine have become standard English. Some fanspeak terms relate to fans themselves:

• An Actifan is a fan involved in «fanac» (fan activity), such as producing a fanzine or running a convention. The opposite is a Passifan, who enjoys the subject of the fandom and is not directly involved in the fandom.
• A Big Name Fan (BNF) is a fan who has become well known within fandom for their contributions of various sorts, such as chairing a Worldcon or contributing to the genre itself.
• Fanne was used in early fandom as a feminine equivalent to «fan».
• Fen was used within fandom as the plural of the word «fan», by analogy with «men» as the plural of «man». This extended to other fanspeak terms, resulting in actifen, passifen, trufen, and so forth.
• A Trufan is a very active and dedicated fan.

Specific sub-groups of science fiction fandom are often known by a collection term. For example:

• Trekkies are fans focused on the Star Trek science fiction franchise. Arising out of science fiction fandom they, to some extent, have served as a template for other organized fandoms in the science fiction television and film genres. Some «Trekkies» prefer to be referred to as «Trekkers» as they feel the term «Trekkies» was used in the past as a derogatory name for them and they hope to avoid the traditional stigma sometimes associated with being known as a «Trekkie». Many «old school» fans of the Star Trek universe defiantly, and proudly, refer to themselves, and other Star Trek fans, as «Trekkies» rather than the kinder, gentler «Trekkers» name used by many of the newer generations of Star Trek fans.^{[original research?]}
• Whovians are fans of the BBC series Doctor Who.

Sports[edit]

A sports fan can be an enthusiast for a particular athlete, team, sport, or all of organized sports as a whole. Sports fans often attend sporting events in stadiums, in sports bars, or watch them at home on television, and follow news through newspapers, websites, and social media.^[17]

The mentality of the sports fan is often such that they will experience a game, or event while living vicariously through players or teams whom the fan favors.^[18] This behavior manifests itself in a number of different ways, depending on the venue. At a stadium or arena, sports fans will voice their pleasure with a particular incident, player, or team by cheering, which consists of clapping, fist-pumping, or shouting positive exclamations toward the field of play and ultimately, the favorable object. Likewise, displeasure toward a particular incident, player, or team may be met by fans with booing, shouting of expletives, and sometimes throwing of objects onto the field. This violent type of fan reaction is often called hooliganism.

Lighter, more harmless objects are also occasionally thrown onto certain fields of play as a form of celebration of a favorable sports feat. This is most common when a member of the home team scores a hat trick in hockey. Other, more mild forms of displeasure shown by sports fans at sporting events involve simple groans of disappointment, and silence. These actions often denote that the favored home team is being outperformed by, or has lost to the much less-favored road team.

In North America, extremely enthusiastic fans are often called «superfans»: fans who dress up in outrageous and ostentatious costumes or outfits showing their devotion. Fanbases well known for their tenacious love and undying support are called rabid fans or fanatics. These fans often congregate hours before kickoff in what is known as a tailgation or tailgating.

At sports bars, sports fans will gather together, often while consuming food and alcoholic beverages, with the purpose of following a particular sporting event on television as a group. Sports bars often advertise in hopes of drawing fans of a particular player or team to watch together to increase bonds between fans and prevent fights. This can create the sense of unity in a sports bar as all cheers and boos will appear to be synchronized due to similar feelings and reactions by nearly all fans at the fortunes and misfortunes of the favored team or athlete. Due to the level of devotion and intensity of feeling towards the favored team or athlete by sports bar patrons, as well as partially due to the alcohol being served, behavior that would be seen as unruly or fanatical outside a sports bar is generally more common inside of one. The intensity of cheering and jeering at a sports bar by sports fans can often range from equal to stronger than that of fans actually at the sporting event for particularly significant games and matches.

At home, sports fans may have few fellow fans but also more freedom. This is sometimes where the most intense cheering or jeering will take place. In the fan’s own home, unbridled and lengthy screaming, crying, acts of destruction to household objects, and other manifestations of joy or anguish, are perhaps seen as most acceptable in comparison to the sports bar or sporting venue simply because such acts taken to such an extreme can be seen as disruptive to a large number of fellow fans even if they share the same sentiment if it is of less intensity. The greatest variables of the reaction of a sports fan in their own home are the intensity of the fan’s desire to see their team win or perform well, and the presence of another: often a wife, children, or friends who may be significantly less ardent sports fans or not sports fans at all, which may significantly temper the fan’s reaction to a highly positive or negative moment due to the fear of causing a scene or scaring those close to the fan, or alienating themselves from said others. Often sports fans will invite other fans of relatively similar rooting intensity over to their house to experience a sporting event together so that all involved can voice pleasure or displeasure to their heart’s content and increase shared bonds in the process. It is becoming common for this type of bonding to take place over sports-related social networks.

Fan psychology and motives[edit]

Sports[edit]

The drivers that make people fans, and in particular sports fans, have been studied by psychologists, such as Dan Wann at Murray State University,^[19] and communication scholars, such as Adam Earnheardt at Youngstown State University.^[20][21]

They attribute people becoming fans to the following factors:^[22] One element is entertainment, because sports spectatorship is a form of leisure. Sports is also a form of escapism, and being a fan gives one an excuse to yell at something, an activity that may be constrained in other areas of one’s life. Fan activities give participants a combination of euphoria and stress (about the potential for their team to lose) for which they coin the name «eustress». Fans experience euphoria during moments when play is going well for their team, and stress when play is going against their team. This tension between the two emotions generates an unusual sense of pleasure or heightened sensations.^[23]

Aesthetics are another draw for some fans, who appreciate the precision or skill of play, or of the coordinated movement of the players during a pre-planned «play».^[23] Family bonding is a reason for some fan activities. Some families watch televised sports on a regular basis and go to sports games as a family outing to watch events and form a psychological bond with one another and as a family. Others with no biological relations may view the team and fanbase as their family as Arsenal fan Maria Petri stated.^[24] Going to sports events can create a borrowed sense of self-esteem if fans identify with their teams to the extent that they consider themselves to be successful when their teams have been successful (e.g., as seen in the phrase «we have won»).^[23] If a fan identifies strongly with a favorite team, they will respond to the performance of the team as if team success were a personal success and team failure a personal failure.^[25]

Loyalty[edit]

Fan loyalty is the loyalty felt and expressed by a fan towards the object of their fanaticism. Allegiances can be strong or weak. The loyalties of sports fans have been studied by psychologists and have often been reviewed.

Fangirls and fanboys in fandoms sometimes, with various meanings, consider their fandom to be their «family,» and feel very loyal to it, usually.

According to a study by psychologists from Cambridge University, the more that people publicly express admiration for a public figure, the more likely it is that the fans’ faith in the public figure will remain unaffected following «moral violations» by the adored person.^[26]

«Stan» fans[edit]

A stan is an excessively avid fan and supporter of a celebrity, TV show, group, musical artist, film or film series. The object of the stan’s affection is often called «bias» (or «fave», although that is an outdated term). Based on the 2000 song «Stan» by American rapper Eminem,^[27] the term has frequently been used to describe artist devotees whose fanaticism matches the severity of the obsessive character in the song. The word is sometimes described as a portmanteau of «stalker» and «fan», but this is a retroactively assigned meaning akin to a backronym.^[28] A website known as «Stan Wars» or «stanipedia» sprouted up to host discussions and flame wars between rival fanbases.^[29] The Korean equivalent for a stan is a sasaeng. Stan culture has been criticized for being toxic.^[30]

Usage[edit]

Colloquially, the term can be used as both a noun or a verb.^[29] Stans of a particular artist are often given more detailed names, such as «Arianators» for fans of Ariana Grande^[31][32] and «Directioner» for fans of One Direction. Some artists, however, do not have specific titles attributed to their stans; fans of Kylie Minogue have been called Kylie Stans.^[33][34] Even for fandoms with specific titles, the «artist stan» formula still applies.^[29]

Some of these monikers are almost universally known and used by fans of the artists as well as outsiders. Other nicknames are not commonly used, neither by outsiders nor by the concerning fan-base, such as Kylie Minogue’s «Kylie Stans», Madonna’s «Madonna Fans», Maroon 5’s «Maroon 5 Stans» or Nick Jonas’s so called «Nick Jonas Fans», usually appearing on social media networks such as Twitter and Tumblr,^[29] The term «stan» is also used to describe fans of K-pop.^{[citation needed]} The term is not to be confused with Sasaeng fans, which are overly obsessed fans who stalk and sometimes bring harm to idols.^{[citation needed]}

The term was added to the Oxford English Dictionary in 2017.^[35][36][37]

Celebrity reaction[edit]

Celebrities have positively reacted to their «stan» followings. Notably, English singer-songwriter Jessie J had this to say about her stans, «They support me and buy my albums and singles, and they stand outside hotels, and they come to shows, and they get tattoos of my lyrics and they cut their hair like me. You have to love your fans. That’s why I call them my Heartbeats, because without them I wouldn’t be here».^[38] In 2012, after Jessie J broke her own leg, a stan broke her own leg to emulate the injury. The fan tracked down Jessie J’s personal address and sent her a photograph of the self-inflicted injury. The singer was horrified and decided to increase her security.^[39]

Singer-songwriter Lorde has a different opinion on the matter of giving her followers a nickname. She discouraged it by saying «I find it grating to lump everyone into a really awkward, pun-centric name» and affirmed she will never name her fanbase.^[40]

Gender stereotypes[edit]

Societal gender roles[edit]

Discrimination against females[edit]

Women tend to be «more restricted in their leisure choices and opportunities than men,»^[41] and their experiences within fandoms are typically demeaned to a more sexualized, emotional, or bodily experience, as opposed to intellectual interests.^[42][43][44] For example, in music, women are more predominant, and accepted, within pop music fandoms, which Diane Railton describes as evoking an emotional and physical response, in contrast with the ‘masculine’ rock music, which is defined as ‘serious’ music with a ‘meaning’, focusing on political, cultural, and psychological discussion.^[43] Due to this, women are rarely given space or voice within the intellectual realm of music.^[43] According to Frank Zappa, «men come to hear the music and chicks come for the sex thrills,»^[45] implying that women’s involvement in fan communities is purely sexual, and that they are incapable of displaying intellectual or artistic interest in the music itself.^[43] Those who do manage to become involved within the world of ‘serious’ music are often relegated to the realm of a ‘groupie’.^[42] A groupie, according to Cheryl Cline, is

[A] person (a woman, usually), who ‘chases after’ rock stars, as my mother would say. But ‘groupie’ is also used more or less synonymously with ‘girl Rock fan’, ‘female journalist’, and ‘woman Rock musician’; it’s used to mean anyone working in the music field who isn’t actually a Rock musician; it’s used as an all-purpose insult and a slut on one’s professionalism; it’s used as a cute term for ‘hero worship’; and it’s used interchangeably with ‘fan’.^[42]

In other words, the term ‘groupie’ (used synonymously with the term ‘fan’ or ‘fangirl’) is frequently used to shame women involved within the music community, restricting their involvement to sexual relations with band members or worshipping male rock stars.^[42]

This trend can also be observed within other fan communities, such as comic book fandoms, where women are frequently portrayed as «Fake Geek Girls», only interested in comic books to impress guys or to view the attractive men present within their content,^[46][47] or sports communities, where women are often made uncomfortable at live sporting events due to the overt sexism and aggressive masculinity displayed by male spectators, and then labelled as ‘inauthentic’ for viewing the games via television instead.^[41] Within hockey, female fans are often called «Puck Bunnies», defined as,

[S]omeone who hangs around the players, always on the lookout for the chance to get that autograph / photograph / quick pint [drink] / quick knee trem-bler round the back of the Arena from the player or players (or even coach) of their choice, heck let’s face it even the water carrier is in with a chance here.^[44]

Such discrimination against female fans can become violent at times in an effort to police «authenticity».^[48] The recent events known as GamerGate provide a good example of such attacks, whereby multiple women working within the gaming industry were victims of sexual harassment and violent threats, some even forced to leave their homes for fear of a physical confrontation.^[49][50][51]

The fangirls’, often stereotyped as female, so-called ‘hysteria’ is described as the product of sexual repression.^[52] However, while it is expected for women to be involved in certain fandoms for physical or sexual reasons, this is also viewed as undesirable and driven by hormonal changes.

These acts of adoration are societally limited to adolescent youth, or menopausal women, in both instances blaming «these two periods of hormonal lunacy» on the irrational, overtly sexual behaviour.^[42] For instance, Cheryl Cline, in her text entitled «Essays from Bitch: The Women’s Rock Newsletter with Bite», discusses how women need to keep their interests hidden once they pass adolescence.^[42] In her own words, «[i]t’s a sign of maturity to pack up all the posters, photos, magazines, scrapbooks, and unauthorized biographies you so lovingly collected and shove them in the back of the closet.^[42]

These conflicting accounts of fangirl behaviour are due to the belief that women are not supposed to express such sexual fantasies unless influenced by some hormonal induced craziness, while for men it is normal to be sexual regardless of age.^[42] As Cheryl Cline summarizes,

It’s much easier for a man to be indulgent about the crushes of teenage girls than it is for him to be fair-minded about the sexual fantasies of the woman he loves when they’re about someone else. And the same guy who’ll leave Penthouse in the bathroom will yell, ‘No woman of mine is gonna hang a poster of Prince naked to the waist on the inside of the closet of the spare room where no one will see it!’ […] [U]ntil you reach the age when everybody thinks you’re crazy anyway, so why not admit to an intense hankering to run your fingers through Willie Nelson’s whiskers?^[42]

Discrimination against males[edit]

According to Jackson Katz in the documentary Tough Guise 2, boys are taught early on that to be «real men» they need to be tough and not to show their feelings.^[53]

[Men] can’t show any emotion except anger. We can’t think too much or seem too intellectual. We can’t back down when someone disrespects us. We have to show we’re tough enough to inflict physical pain and take it in turn. We’re supposed to be sexually aggressive with women. And then we’re taught that if we step out of this box, we risk being seen as soft, weak, feminine, or gay.^[53]

He later elaborates, stating that,

Qualities like compassion, caring, empathy, intellectual curiosity, fear, vulnerability, even love – basic human qualities that boys have inside them every bit as much as girls do – get methodically driven out of them by a sexist and homophobic culture that labels these things as ‘unmanly,’ ‘feminine,’ ‘womanly,’ and ‘gay,’ and teaches boys to avoid them at all costs.
And, most importantly, they’re taught that real men turn to violence not as a last resort, but as the go-to method of resolving disputes – and also as a primary means of winning respect and establishing masculine credibility.^[53]

In the predecessor to this documentary, Tough Guise, Katz also addresses the issue of body image, using multiple movies, such as Terminator and Rambo, as well as action figures like G.I. Joe, to illustrate how ‘real men’ are defined as big, strong, and muscular.^[54]

Fanboy portrayals, by definition, do not fit into this mold of a ‘real man’, with the exception of sports fans. In a study by Gerard Jones on comic book fans, he described the comic book fanboys as «small, anxious, withdrawn, and terrified of the opposite sex.»^[55] Quite the opposite of the ‘real man’ previously described by Katz. Their interests may also be considered as a deviation from societal gender roles, according to Noah Berlastsky, such as playing Dungeons and Dragons instead of football.^[56] This lack of traditional masculine traits warrants them much teasing from peers, parental figures, coaches, or older male role models for not conforming to these ideas of masculinity.^[53][56][57] A popular example of such treatment in mainstream media is shown on the sitcom The Big Bang Theory, where, multiple times throughout the show’s run, the four main characters, portrayed as ‘nerdy fanboys’, are humiliated by larger ‘real men’. For instance, in the show pilot, the two main characters, Leonard and Sheldon, get their pants taken by the main female character’s ex-boyfriend, who is portrayed as big, strong, tough, confident, and successful with women.^[58]

Furthermore, fanboys also deal with issues of gender discrimination in relation to their fandom interests. For example, Bronies, a group of young men enthralled by the TV show My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic, a show typically geared towards young girls, are often the target of ridicule. Their interest in a ‘feminine’ media item can be the cause of great shame, causing many to become ‘private’ bronies, enjoying the show in secret out of fear.^[59]

Fangirl[edit]

«Fangirl» and «Fangirls» redirect here. For the novel by Rainbow Rowell, see Fangirl (novel). For the musical by Yve Blake, see Fangirls (musical).

This section needs expansion with: unbiased point of view. You can help by adding to it. (July 2020)

Fangirls are often portrayed as teenagers obsessed with something to a frightening degree. The term is often used in a demeaning, derogatory fashion and is said to describe the fans that give «normal» fans a bad name. In fact, the term «fangirling» is used to describe anyone who obsessively follows a certain fandom to the point where it interferes with their daily lives. Such a trend of ‘authentic’ versus ‘inauthentic’ fan is common within fan communities, and is particularly pertinent to gender discrimination and misogynistic ideals.^[48] However, on the other hand of the spectrum, some fangirls have embraced the title, considering it a compliment rather than a derogatory term.

Immaturity in fangirls[edit]

This section needs expansion with: unbiased point of view. You can help by adding to it. (July 2020)

In terms of their involvement within fandoms, fangirls are typically portrayed as losing all control, fainting, sobbing, and dashing about in mobs.^[52] For instance, while describing the phenomenon of Beatlemania, fan activity is described by stating that:

The appropriate reaction to contact with [the Beatles] – such as occupying the same auditorium or city block – was to sob uncontrollably while screaming, ‘I’m gonna die, I’m gonna die,’ or, more optimistically, the name of a favorite Beatle, until the onset of either unconsciousness or laryngitis. Girls peed in their pants, fainted, or simply collapsed from the emotional strain.^[52]

Furthermore, while discussing Beatlemania and the crazed Beatles fangirl behaviour, Barbara Ehrenreich, Elizabeth Heiss, and Gloria Jacobs mention how the ‘only cure’ for what was at the time considered an affliction was age, and that similarly to «the girls who had screamed for Frank Sinatra,» the Beatles fangirls would «[grow] up to be responsible, settled «^[52] individuals.

Fanboy[edit]

This section needs expansion with: unbiased point of view. You can help by adding to it. (July 2020)

Fanboys are frequently portrayed as «angry nerds», over-aggressive, derogatory, and protective of the object of their obsession,^[60] or as bespectacled, geekoid, obsessive fans. The term nerd, defined as «[an] insignificant, foolish, or socially inept person; a person who is boringly conventional or studious; a person who pursues an unfashionable or highly technical interest with obsessive or exclusive dedication,»^[61] as well as the term geek, defined as «[a] person […] who is regarded as foolish, offensive, worthless; an overly diligent, unsociable student; any unsociable person obsessively devoted to a particular pursuit,»^[62] are often used to describe stereotypical fanboys. In regards to chosen fandoms, they are typically associated with comic books, video games, science fiction movies or television series, or technology (such as computer or smartphone brands).^[60]

An exception to this portrayal is the sports fan, who is expected to be overtly sexual, and aggressive.^[41] This portrayal is particularly dominant within the sports arena, which provides a legitimate site for people to act in hyper masculinized ways.^[41] According to Williams, «Many [men] want to be overtly sexist and racist. They need to have this exaggerated sense of their sexuality to defend themselves from potential accusations that they are not real men.»^[63]

Immaturity in fanboys[edit]

Fanboys are often portrayed as quite angry, violent, and offensive while defending the objects of their affection, such as the smartphone fanboys who frequently verbally attack anybody saying anything the slightest bit offensive about their chosen technological product through online anonymous sites.^[60] In fact, the term ‘fanboy’ is often used as an insult towards other fans, deemed unreasonable, arrogant, or overly loyal to their chosen token of affection.^{[citation needed]}

Such defensiveness is particularly prominent against women who are interested in their chosen fandoms or who pose a «threat» to their community. For example, in 2012, male gamers created a Flash game in which players could physically assault Anita Sarkeesian, a woman who launched a Kickstarter to create a series of documentaries on women tropes in video games.^[48]

These violent acts against Sarkeesian continued in 2014, during the controversial event or movement known as GamerGate, during which Sarkeesian received numerous threats by fanboys due to her Tropes vs Women series on YouTube, where she analyzes the alleged limited and sexist female roles available in video games. These threats escalated dangerously, requiring her to leave her home in fear for her safety, as well as cancel a speaking engagement at Utah State University after there were threats of a mass shooting on campus due to her presence.^[49] Such discriminatory acts of violence towards women are not isolated cases. For instance, male comic book fans frequently harass women frequenting comic book shops, either by demeaning them or by hitting on them, causing them to feel uncomfortable and excluded from the fan community.^[48]

See also[edit]

• Fan activism
• Fan art
• Fan club
• Fansite
• Fan studies
• Cult of personality
• Hooliganism

References[edit]

• Daniel L. Wann; Merrill J. Melnick; Gordon W. Russell; Dale G. Pease (2001). SportFans: The Psychology and Social Impact of Spectators. London: Routledge. ISBN 0-415-92463-4.
• Tucker, Bob. The Neo-Fan’s Guide To Science Fiction Fandom. 8th Edition, 1996. KaCSFFS Press. No ISBN listed.
• Fuschillo, Gregorio (2020). Fans, fandoms, or fanaticism?. Journal of Consumer Culture, 20(3), 347–365.

External links[edit]

• Merriam-Webster: fan
• Oxford Dictionary: fan
• Notes on fandom

Translingual[edit]

Symbol[edit]

fan

1. (international standards) ISO 639-2 & ISO 639-3 language code for Fang (Bantu).

English[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

• IPA^(key): /fæn/
• (æ-tensing) IPA^(key): [feən]
• Rhymes: -æn
• Homophones: faan, fanne

Etymology 1[edit]

From Middle English fan, from Old English fann (“a winnowing, fan”), from Latin vannus (“fan for winnowing grain”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂weh₁- (“to blow”). Cognate with
Latin ventus (“wind”), Dutch wan (“fan”), German Wanne, Swedish vanna (“a fan for winnowing”), Old English windwian (“to fan, winnow”). More at winnow.

Noun[edit]

fan (plural fans)

1. A hand-held device consisting of concertinaed material, or slats of material, gathered together at one end, that may be opened out into the shape of a sector of a circle and waved back and forth in order to move air towards oneself and cool oneself.
3. An electrical or mechanical device for moving air, used for cooling people, machinery, etc.
4. The action of fanning; agitation of the air.
   • 1998, Brock Thoene, Bodie Thoene, A New Frontier: Saga of the Sierras (page 181)

     «If I cannot be of service, then I certainly don’t wish to impose,» said McGinty, with a quick fan of breeze that indicated a sweeping bow.

5. Anything resembling a hand-held fan in shape, e.g., a peacock’s tail.
6. An instrument for winnowing grain, by moving which the grain is tossed and agitated, and the chaff is separated and blown away.
7. A small vane or sail, used to keep the large sails of a smock mill always in the direction of the wind.
8. (mathematics) A section of a tree having a finite number of branches

Derived terms[edit]

Translations[edit]

Verb[edit]

fan (third-person singular simple present fans, present participle fanning, simple past and past participle fanned)

1. (transitive) To blow air on (something) by means of a fan (hand-held, mechanical or electrical) or otherwise.

   We enjoyed standing at the edge of the cliff, being fanned by the wind.
2. (transitive) To slap (a behind, especially).

   • 1934, Rex Stout, Fer-de-Lance, Bantam, published 1992, →ISBN, page 148:

     Part of it was that as much as I respected filial devotion and as much as I liked Sarah Barstow, it would have been a real satisfaction to put her across my knees and pull up her skirts and giver^[sic] her a swell fanning, for not taking a look at that driver.

3. (intransitive, usually to fan out) To move or spread in multiple directions from one point, in the shape of a hand-held fan.
4. (transitive) To dispel by waving a hand-held fan.

   I attempted to fan the disagreeable odour out of the room.

5. (firearms, transitive) To perform a maneuver that involves flicking the top rear of an old-style gun.

   • 2011, Hans-Christoan Vortisch, GURPS Tactical Shooting, page 14:

     To fan a single action revolver, hold down the trigger and strike the hammer repeatedly with a free hand.

6. (metaphoric) To invigorate, like flames when fanned.

   • 1923, Arthur Symons, Love’s Cruelty, page 43:

     She comes, to fan my ardour, She kills me with her kisses.

7. To winnow grain.

   • 1856, Lelièvre, François Réal Angers, Lower Canada reports:

     By the first article, these fanning mills were appointed to be sent to the proprietors of the mills of Sault-à-la puce, Petit-Pré, Beauport, Pointe de Lévy, St. Nicolas and Ste. Famille in the isle of Orleans » to have all the wheat in general of whatever quality sent to these mills passed and fanned, before converting them into flour.»

8. (rail transport, transitive) To apply (the air brake) many times in rapid succession.

   Fanning the brakes results in the gradual depletion of the pressure in the cars’ brake reservoirs, which can eventually cause a loss of all braking.

9. (baseball, intransitive) To strike out.
10. (baseball, transitive) To strike out (a batter).

Derived terms[edit]

[edit]

• (to firing a revolver by holding trigger and hitting hammer) thumbing

Translations[edit]

Etymology 2[edit]

Clipping of fanatic, originally in US baseball slang. Possibly influenced by fancy (“group of sport or hobby enthusiasts”), i.e. fancy boy (“fan”).

Noun[edit]

fan (plural fans or fen)

2. A person who is fond of something or someone, especially an admirer of a performer or aficionado of a sport.

   I am a big fan of libraries.

Usage notes[edit]

The plural fen is only used within science fiction fandom. See fen, etymology 3, for more information.

Synonyms[edit]

• See Thesaurus:fan

Antonyms[edit]

• anti-fan
• hater

Hyponyms[edit]

• See Category:en:Fans (people), for names of different fans or members of fan subcultures.

Derived terms[edit]

Descendants[edit]

Translations[edit]

References[edit]

• Douglas Harper (2001–2023), “fan”, in Online Etymology Dictionary, retrieved 1 January 2017: “1889, American English, originally of baseball enthusiasts, probably a shortening of fanatic, but it may be influenced by the fancy, a collective term for followers of a certain hobby or sport (especially boxing)”.

See also[edit]

Anagrams[edit]

• AFN, ANF, FNA, NAF, NFA

Bambara[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

• IPA^(key): [fã˦ã˨]

Etymology 1[edit]

Noun[edit]

fan

1. egg

Etymology 2[edit]

Noun[edit]

fan

1. direction, side

References[edit]

• 2007. The UCLA Phonetics Lab Archive. Los Angeles, CA: UCLA Department of Linguistics.
• Richard Nci Diarra, Lexique bambara-français-anglais, December 13, 2010

Catalan[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

• Rhymes: -an

Verb[edit]

fan

1. third-person plural present indicative form of fer

Chibcha[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

• IPA^(key): /βan/

Noun[edit]

fan

1. Alternative form of ban

References[edit]

• Gómez Aldana D. F., Análisis morfológico del Vocabulario 158 de la Biblioteca Nacional de Colombia. Grupo de Investigación Muysccubun. 2013.
• Quesada Pacheco, Miguel Ángel. 1991. El vocabulario mosco de 1612. En estudios de Lingüística Chibcha. Programa de investigación del departamento de lingüística de la Universidad de Costa Rica. Serie Anual Tomo X San José (Costa Rica). Universidad de Costa Rica.

Chuukese[edit]

Noun[edit]

fan

1. church (building)

   Ka mochen fiti fan? ― Do you want to attend church?

2. time (instance or occurrence)

   • 2010, Ewe Kapasen God, United Bible Societies, →ISBN, Matthew 26:34, page 55:

     Jesus a apasa ngeni Peter, «Upwe apasa ngonuk pwe non ei chok pwinin me mwen ewe chukȯ epwe kökkö, fan unungat kopwe apasa pwe kose sinei ei.»

     Jesus said to Peter, «I tell you that in this night before the chicken calls, three times you will say that you don’t know me.»

Preposition[edit]

fan

1. under

Cimbrian[edit]

Etymology[edit]

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Preposition[edit]

fan (Sette Comuni)

1. on

   au fan tiss ― on the table (literally, “up on table”)

2. in

   übar fan Ròan ― in Canove (literally, “over in Canove”)

Usage notes[edit]

Often used in conjunction with adverbs, such as au (“up”), übar (“over”), abe (“down”).

References[edit]

• “fan” in Martalar, Umberto Martello; Bellotto, Alfonso (1974) Dizionario della lingua Cimbra dei Sette Communi vicentini, 1st edition, Roana, Italy: Instituto di Cultura Cimbra A. Dal Pozzo

Dutch[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Borrowed from English fan.

Pronunciation[edit]

• (Belgium) IPA^(key): /fɑn/
• (Netherlands) IPA^(key): /fɛn/

Noun[edit]

fan m (plural fans, diminutive fannetje n)

1. fan (admirer)

Synonyms[edit]

• aanhanger
• bewonderaar
• supporter

Finnish[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From English fan.

Pronunciation[edit]

• IPA^(key): /ˈfɑn/, [ˈfɑn]
• IPA^(key): /ˈfæn/, [ˈfæn]
• Rhymes: -ɑn
• Syllabification^(key): fan

Noun[edit]

fan

1. fan, admirer, aficionado

Declension[edit]

Inflection of fan (Kotus type 5/risti, no gradation)
nominative	fan	fanit
genitive	fanin	fanien
partitive	fania	faneja
illative	faniin	faneihin
	singular	plural
nominative	fan	fanit
accusative	nom.	fan	fanit
gen.	fanin
genitive	fanin	fanien
partitive	fania	faneja
inessive	fanissa	faneissa
elative	fanista	faneista
illative	faniin	faneihin
adessive	fanilla	faneilla
ablative	fanilta	faneilta
allative	fanille	faneille
essive	fanina	faneina
translative	faniksi	faneiksi
instructive	—	fanein
abessive	fanitta	faneitta
comitative	See the possessive forms below.

Possessive forms of fan (type risti)

first-person singular possessor singular plural nominative fanini fanini accusative nom. fanini fanini gen. fanini genitive fanini fanieni partitive faniani fanejani inessive fanissani faneissani elative fanistani faneistani illative faniini faneihini adessive fanillani faneillani ablative faniltani faneiltani allative fanilleni faneilleni essive faninani faneinani translative fanikseni faneikseni instructive — — abessive fanittani faneittani comitative — faneineni second-person singular possessor singular plural nominative fanisi fanisi accusative nom. fanisi fanisi gen. fanisi genitive fanisi faniesi partitive faniasi fanejasi inessive fanissasi faneissasi elative fanistasi faneistasi illative faniisi faneihisi adessive fanillasi faneillasi ablative faniltasi faneiltasi allative fanillesi faneillesi essive faninasi faneinasi translative faniksesi faneiksesi instructive — — abessive fanittasi faneittasi comitative — faneinesi first-person plural possessor singular plural nominative fanimme fanimme accusative nom. fanimme fanimme gen. fanimme genitive fanimme faniemme partitive faniamme fanejamme inessive fanissamme faneissamme elative fanistamme faneistamme illative faniimme faneihimme adessive fanillamme faneillamme ablative faniltamme faneiltamme allative fanillemme faneillemme essive faninamme faneinamme translative faniksemme faneiksemme instructive — — abessive fanittamme faneittamme comitative — faneinemme second-person plural possessor singular plural nominative faninne faninne accusative nom. faninne faninne gen. faninne genitive faninne fanienne partitive fanianne fanejanne inessive fanissanne faneissanne elative fanistanne faneistanne illative faniinne faneihinne adessive fanillanne faneillanne ablative faniltanne faneiltanne allative fanillenne faneillenne essive faninanne faneinanne translative faniksenne faneiksenne instructive — — abessive fanittanne faneittanne comitative — faneinenne third-person possessor singular plural nominative faninsa faninsa accusative nom. faninsa faninsa gen. faninsa genitive faninsa faniensa partitive faniaan faniansa fanejaan fanejansa inessive fanissaan fanissansa faneissaan faneissansa elative fanistaan fanistansa faneistaan faneistansa illative faniinsa faneihinsa adessive fanillaan fanillansa faneillaan faneillansa ablative faniltaan faniltansa faneiltaan faneiltansa allative fanilleen fanillensa faneilleen faneillensa essive faninaan faninansa faneinaan faneinansa translative fanikseen faniksensa faneikseen faneiksensa instructive — — abessive fanittaan fanittansa faneittaan faneittansa comitative — faneineen faneinensa

Synonyms[edit]

• fani

French[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

• IPA^(key): /fan/

Etymology 1[edit]

Borrowed from English fan, 1920s.

Noun[edit]

fan m or f by sense (plural fans)

1. fan (admirer, supporter)

Etymology 2[edit]

Borrowed from English fan.

Noun[edit]

fan f (plural fans)

1. (Canada) fan (ventilator)

Further reading[edit]

• “fan”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Friulian[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Latin famēs.

Noun[edit]

fan f

1. hunger

[edit]

• famâ

Galician[edit]

Verb[edit]

fan

1. third-person plural present indicative of facer

Gothic[edit]

Romanization[edit]

fan

1. Romanization of 𐍆𐌰𐌽

Hungarian[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

• IPA^(key): [ˈfɒn]
• Hyphenation: fan

Etymology 1[edit]

From Proto-Finno-Ugric *puna (“hair”).^[1] Possibly a doublet of pina.^[2]

Noun[edit]

fan (plural fanok)

1. (obsolete) pubis

   Synonyms: (the region) szeméremtájék, (the bone) szeméremcsont, (mons pubis) szeméremdomb

2. (obsolete) pubic hair

   Synonyms: szeméremszőrzet, fanszőrzet

Usage notes[edit]

Today it is used only in compounds.

Declension[edit]

Inflection (stem in -o-, back harmony)
	singular	plural
nominative	fan	fanok
accusative	fant	fanokat
dative	fannak	fanoknak
instrumental	fannal	fanokkal
causal-final	fanért	fanokért
translative	fanná	fanokká
terminative	fanig	fanokig
essive-formal	fanként	fanokként
essive-modal	—	—
inessive	fanban	fanokban
superessive	fanon	fanokon
adessive	fannál	fanoknál
illative	fanba	fanokba
sublative	fanra	fanokra
allative	fanhoz	fanokhoz
elative	fanból	fanokból
delative	fanról	fanokról
ablative	fantól	fanoktól
non-attributive possessive — singular	fané	fanoké
non-attributive possessive — plural	fanéi	fanokéi

Possessive forms of fan
possessor	single possession	multiple possessions
1st person sing.	fanom	fanjaim
2nd person sing.	fanod	fanjaid
3rd person sing.	fanja	fanjai
1st person plural	fanunk	fanjaink
2nd person plural	fanotok	fanjaitok
3rd person plural	fanjuk	fanjaik

Derived terms[edit]

Etymology 2[edit]

From English fan.

Noun[edit]

fan (plural fanok)

1. (neologism, colloquial) fan (a person who is fond of something or someone, especially an admirer of a performer or aficionado of a sport)

   Synonym: rajongó

Declension[edit]

Inflection (stem in -o-, back harmony)
	singular	plural
nominative	fan	fanok
accusative	fant	fanokat
dative	fannak	fanoknak
instrumental	fannal	fanokkal
causal-final	fanért	fanokért
translative	fanná	fanokká
terminative	fanig	fanokig
essive-formal	fanként	fanokként
essive-modal	—	—
inessive	fanban	fanokban
superessive	fanon	fanokon
adessive	fannál	fanoknál
illative	fanba	fanokba
sublative	fanra	fanokra
allative	fanhoz	fanokhoz
elative	fanból	fanokból
delative	fanról	fanokról
ablative	fantól	fanoktól
non-attributive possessive — singular	fané	fanoké
non-attributive possessive — plural	fanéi	fanokéi

Possessive forms of fan
possessor	single possession	multiple possessions
1st person sing.	fanom	fanjaim
2nd person sing.	fanod	fanjaid
3rd person sing.	fanja	fanjai
1st person plural	fanunk	fanjaink
2nd person plural	fanotok	fanjaitok
3rd person plural	fanjuk	fanjaik

References[edit]

Further reading[edit]

• (pubis; admirer, aficionado): fan in Ittzés, Nóra (ed.). A magyar nyelv nagyszótára (’A Comprehensive Dictionary of the Hungarian Language’). Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 2006–2031 (work in progress; published A–ez as of 2023)
• (pubis): fan , mostly redirecting to fanszőr in Bárczi, Géza and László Országh: A magyar nyelv értelmező szótára (’An Explanatory Dictionary of the Hungarian Language’, abbr.: ÉrtSz.). Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 1959–1962. Fifth ed., 1992: →ISBN
• (pubis): fan in Czuczor, Gergely and János Fogarasi: A magyar nyelv szótára (’A Dictionary of the Hungarian Language’). Pest: Emich Gusztáv Magyar Akadémiai Nyomdász, 1862–1874.
• (pubis): fan at A Pallas nagy lexikona, Pallas Irodalmi és Nyomdai Rt., Budapest, 1897
• (pubis): László Országh, Magyar–angol szótár (“Hungarian–English Dictionary”), Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest, 1977

Indonesian[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From English fan (“a person who is fond of something or someone”), clipping of fanatic.

Pronunciation[edit]

• IPA^(key): [ˈfɛn]
• Hyphenation: fan

Noun[edit]

fan (first-person possessive fanku, second-person possessive fanmu, third-person possessive fannya)

1. fan: a person who is fond of something or someone.

   Synonyms: pengagum, penggemar

2. fan device

Derived terms[edit]

[edit]

Further reading[edit]

• “fan” in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia, Jakarta: Language Development and Fostering Agency — Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic Indonesia, 2016.

Irish[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Middle Irish fanaid, from Old Irish anaid (“to stay, remain, abide”).

Pronunciation[edit]

• IPA^(key): /fˠanˠ/

Verb[edit]

fan (present analytic fanann, future analytic fanfaidh, verbal noun fanacht, past participle fanta)

1. to wait
2. to stay

Conjugation[edit]

Mutation[edit]

Irish mutation
Radical	Lenition	Eclipsis
fan	fhan	bhfan
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Istriot[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Latin fāmes.

Noun[edit]

fan

1. hunger

Italian[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Borrowed from English fan.

Pronunciation[edit]

• IPA^(key): /ˈfan/, /ˈfɛn/^[1]
• Rhymes: -an, -ɛn
• Hyphenation: fàn

Noun[edit]

fan m or f by sense (plural fans)

1. fan (admirer or follower)

References[edit]

Japanese[edit]

Romanization[edit]

fan

1. Rōmaji transcription of ファン

Kanuri[edit]

Verb[edit]

fàn+

1. hear
2. understand
3. feel

Mandarin[edit]

Romanization[edit]

fan

1. Nonstandard spelling of fān.
2. Nonstandard spelling of fán.
3. Nonstandard spelling of fǎn.
4. Nonstandard spelling of fàn.

Usage notes[edit]

• Transcriptions of Mandarin speech into the Roman alphabet often do not distinguish between the critical tonal differences employed in the Mandarin language, using words such as this one without indication of tone.

Middle English[edit]

Etymology 1[edit]

From Old English fann, from Latin vannus. Forms in v- are due to a combination of Southern Middle English voicing of initial fricatives and influence from the ultimate Latin etymon.

Alternative forms[edit]

• fanne, ffanne, vanne

Pronunciation[edit]

• IPA^(key): /fan/, /van/

Noun[edit]

fan (plural fannes)

1. A mechanism or device for removing chaff from grain (i.e. winnowing).
2. A training or practice shield manufactured out of twigs or wickerwork.
3. (rare) A fan; a device for blowing air as to cool.

Descendants[edit]

• English: fan, van
• Scots: fan

References[edit]

• “fan(ne, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-12-31.

Etymology 2[edit]

Verb[edit]

fan

1. Alternative form of fannen

Norwegian Nynorsk[edit]

Etymology 1[edit]

Borrowed from English fan, where it was a clipping of fanatic.

Pronunciation[edit]

• IPA^(key): /fæn/

Noun[edit]

fan m (definite singular fanen, indefinite plural fans, definite plural fanane)

1. (countable) a fan (person who is fond of someone or something)

Etymology 2[edit]

Noun[edit]

fan m

1. (swear word, in juxtapositions) Alternative form of faen

   Han er ein feig fan.

   He’s a wimpy fucker.

References[edit]

• “fan” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Occitan[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Verb[edit]

fan

1. third-person plural present indicative of faire

Old Dutch[edit]

Etymology 1[edit]

From Proto-Germanic *fanē.

Preposition[edit]

fan

1. off, from

Descendants[edit]

• Middle Dutch: van
  • Dutch: van
    • Afrikaans: van
    • Berbice Creole Dutch: fan
    • Javindo: fan
    • Jersey Dutch: vān, fān, f’n
    • Negerhollands: van, fan, fa
      • → Virgin Islands Creole: fam
    • Skepi Creole Dutch: fan
  • Limburgish: ven

Further reading[edit]

• “fan”, in Oudnederlands Woordenboek, 2012

Etymology 2[edit]

From Proto-West Germanic *fą̄han.

Verb[edit]

fān

1. to catch

Inflection[edit]

This verb needs an inflection-table template.

Derived terms[edit]

• anafān
• antfān
• bifān

Descendants[edit]

• Middle Dutch: vâen
  • Dutch: vangen
    • Afrikaans: vang
    • Berbice Creole Dutch: fanggi
    • Negerhollands: vang, faṅ
    • Skepi Creole Dutch: fank
    • → Aukan: fanga
    • → Sranan Tongo: fanga
      • → Caribbean Javanese: fangah, mangah
  • Limburgish: vange

Further reading[edit]

• “fān”, in Oudnederlands Woordenboek, 2012

Old Saxon[edit]

Alternative forms[edit]

• fana, fon

Etymology[edit]

From Proto-Germanic *afanē, *fanē, whence also Old High German fon.

Pronunciation[edit]

• IPA^(key): /fɑn/

Preposition[edit]

fan

1. from

Descendants[edit]

• Middle Low German: van, von
  • Dutch Low Saxon: van
  • German Low German: van, von, vun

Polish[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Borrowed from English fan.

Pronunciation[edit]

• IPA^(key): /fan/
• Rhymes: -an
• Syllabification: fan

Noun[edit]

fan m pers (feminine fanka)

1. fan (“admirer”)

   Synonyms: entuzjasta, wielbiciel, miłośnik, zapaleniec

Declension[edit]

[edit]

Further reading[edit]

• fan in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• fan in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Rohingya[edit]

Noun[edit]

fan

1. betel leaf

Romanian[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Unadapted borrowing from English fan or French fan.

Noun[edit]

fan m (plural fani)

1. fan (admirer, supporter)

Declension[edit]

Scottish Gaelic[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Old Irish anaid, fanaid (“stays, remains, abides”).

Verb[edit]

fan (past dh’fhan, future fanaidh, verbal noun fantail or fantainn or fanachd)

1. stay, remain
2. wait

Synonyms[edit]

• feith
• fuirich

Spanish[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Borrowed from English fan.

Pronunciation[edit]

• IPA^(key): /ˈfan/ [ˈfãn]
• Rhymes: -an
• Syllabification: fan

Noun[edit]

fan m or f (plural fans or fanes)

1. fan

   Ella es una gran fan tuya.

   She’s a big fan of yours.

   Synonyms: aficionado, admirador, entusiasta, fanático, hincha

Derived terms[edit]

• club de fans

Further reading[edit]

• “fan”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014

Swedish[edit]

Etymology 1[edit]

From Late Old Norse fendinn, perhaps from Old Frisian fandiand, present participle of fandia (“tempt”), from Proto-Germanic *fandōną (“seek, search for, examine”). Cognate with Danish fanden and Norwegian Bokmål faen.

Pronunciation[edit]

• IPA^(key): /ˈfaːn/, /ˈfaːˌa(ː)n/

Noun[edit]

fan c

1. the devil, Satan

   (Må) fan ta dig! ― (May) the devil take you! («Fuck you!»/»Screw you!», usually without må)

2. (offensive, vulgar) a bastard, a motherfucker

   Du var mig en jobbig fan ― You’re one annoying son of a bitch

   Synonym: jävel

Usage notes[edit]

Traditionally not capitalized.

References[edit]

• On capitalization, from TT

Interjection[edit]

fan

1. (swear word, sometimes followed by också or preceded by va or vad) damn (referring to the devil)

   Fan (också)! Jag glömde nycklarna.

   Damn! I forgot my keys.

   Vad i självaste fan?

   What in the ever-loving hell? (Literally, «What in the very devil himself?»)

   Det var då själva fan!

   Oh for fuck’s sake! (Roughly, «It was the devil himself!»)

Adverb[edit]

fan (not comparable)

1. (swear word) A positive or negative intensifier.

   Fan vilken bra låt!

   Damn, what a great song!

   Fan vad trist att din katt dog

   How bloody sad that your cat died (with a sincere tone)

   Det var fan på tiden!

   It’s about bloody time!

   Vem fan är det där?

   Who the hell is that?

Usage notes[edit]

• Closer to English fuck than damn in offensiveness.
• Often said with a doubly emphasized a for emphasis, like «fa-an.»

Derived terms[edit]

• det var som fan
• det vete fan
• fan i mig
• fan och hans moster
• fanskap
• full i fan
• ge fan (i)
• ge sig fan på
• måla fan på väggen
• nu är fan lös
• när fan blir gammal blir han religiös
• se på fan
• som fan
• så fan heller
• ta mig fan
• vad fan
• vafan
• visst fan

See also[edit]

• attans
• den onde (“the evil one (the devil)”) (euphemistic)
• djävulen (“the devil”)
• fanken (“the devil”) (euphemistic)
• fasen (“the devil”) (euphemistic)
• fasiken (“the devil”) (euphemistic)
• helvete
• hin håle (“the devil”) (euphemistic)
• nedrans
• rackarns
• sablar
• satan
• skit

Etymology 2[edit]

Borrowed from English fan, short for fanatic, related to the Swedish words fanatisk and fanatiker.

Pronunciation[edit]

• IPA^(key): /ˈfɛːn/
• Homophone: fän

Noun[edit]

fan c or n

1. fan (admirer)

   Jag är ett jättestort fan av saffransbullar

   I’m a huge fan of saffron buns

Declension[edit]

Declension of fan
	Singular	Plural
Indefinite	Definite	Indefinite	Definite
Nominative	fan	fanet	fans	fansen
Genitive	fans	fanets	fans	fansens

Etymology 3[edit]

Borrowed from Low German fan, used since 1772, closely related to Swedish fana (“flag”).

Noun[edit]

fan n

1. vane, web (part of the anatomy of a bird’s feather)

Declension[edit]

Declension of fan
	Singular	Plural
Indefinite	Definite	Indefinite	Definite
Nominative	fan	fanet	fan	fanen
Genitive	fans	fanets	fans	fanens

References[edit]

• fan in Svensk ordbok (SO)
• fan in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
• fan in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)

Tboli[edit]

Noun[edit]

fan

1. bait

Uzbek[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Borrowed from Arabic فَنّ‎ (fann).

Noun[edit]

fan (plural fanlar)

1. science

Synonyms[edit]

• ilm

Welsh[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

• IPA^(key): /van/
• Rhymes: -an

Etymology 1[edit]

Borrowed from English van.

Noun[edit]

fan f (plural faniau, not mutable)

1. van

Etymology 2[edit]

Noun[edit]

fan

1. Soft mutation of man.

Etymology 3[edit]

Noun[edit]

fan

1. Soft mutation of ban.

References[edit]

• R. J. Thomas, G. A. Bevan, P. J. Donovan, A. Hawke et al., editors (1950–present), “fan”, in Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru Online (in Welsh), University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh & Celtic Studies

Mutation[edit]

Welsh mutation
radical	soft	nasal	aspirate
man	fan	unchanged	unchanged
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

West Frisian[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Old Frisian fon, from Proto-Germanic *fanē.

Pronunciation[edit]

• IPA^(key): /fɔn/

Preposition[edit]

fan

1. from
2. of

Further reading[edit]

• “fan (I)”, in Wurdboek fan de Fryske taal (in Dutch), 2011

Yola[edit]

Alternative forms[edit]

• van, phen

Etymology[edit]

From Middle English whanne, from Old English hwonne, from Proto-West Germanic *hwannā.

Adverb[edit]

fan

1. when

References[edit]

• Jacob Poole (1867), William Barnes, editor, A Glossary, With some Pieces of Verse, of the old Dialect of the English Colony in the Baronies of Forth and Bargy, County of Wexford, Ireland, London: J. Russell Smith, page 39