Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Sense: 1
Date: 1800-1900
Origin: fanatic
Sense: 2
Date: 700-800
Language: Latin
Origin: vannus

fan

1 noun
     
fan1 S2 W2 [countable]
1 someone who likes a particular sport or performing art very much, or who admires a famous person:
Football fans began rioting in the streets.
fan of
He's a big fan of Elvis Presley.
fan mail/letters (=letters sent to famous people by their fans)
2
a) a machine with turning blades that is used to cool the air in a room by moving it around:
a ceiling fan
b) a flat object that you wave with your hand which makes the air cooler
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.

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