fan

The word “fan” means a device, hand-held or powered, that moves air to cool someone or something down. In plain terms, either something that blows air to cool you down, or someone who's enthusiastic about a person, team, or hobby.

“Fan” is pronounced fan (/fæn/ in IPA).

Here is “fan” used in a sentence: “She waved a paper fan to cool herself in the heat.”

Words with a similar meaning to “fan” include admirer, aficionado, buff, connoisseur, enthusiast and devotee.

The opposite of “fan” — its antonyms — are anti-fan and hater.

Depending on how it is used, “fan” can be a noun and a verb.

The word “fan” comes from Latin. From Old English fann, "a winnowing fan," from Latin vannus, a tool used to toss grain into the air to separate it from chaff.

“Fan” is a very common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A1 level.

A fan simply moves air around; it does not lower the room's temperature. An air conditioner actively removes heat and moisture, cooling the air itself. A fan makes you feel cooler by helping sweat evaporate, whereas an air conditioner genuinely chills the space, using far more energy.

A fan doesn't cool the air — it moves it. The moving air sweeps away the warm, humid layer sitting on your skin and speeds up the evaporation of sweat, which carries heat away from your body. That is why a fan feels refreshing yet barely changes room temperature.

Common powered types include ceiling fans, desk and pedestal fans, tower fans, box fans, and extractor or exhaust fans that pull stale air out of kitchens and bathrooms. Hand-held fans, whether folding paper ones or small battery models, move air the same way without a fixed motor.

Yes. Besides the air-moving device, 'fan' also means an enthusiastic admirer or supporter — a fan of a band or a football team. This sense is generally thought to be short for 'fanatic,' and is unrelated to the cooling device despite the identical spelling. Context makes the meaning clear.