noun
shan
shahn
noun
1
A member of an ethnic group of around six million people living mainly in Myanmar's Shan State, with communities also in China, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam.
"The festival celebrated traditional Shan dress and dance."
name
1
The Tai-Kadai language spoken by the Shan people.
"She grew up speaking Shan at home and Burmese at school."
adj
1
Poor in quality, or unfair and harsh — a dated, informal use.
"He complained that the referee's decision was shan."
How to Use Shan
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishMost often refers to the Shan people of Myanmar and their language; the "unfair/poor-quality" adjective sense is rare and dated.
Word Forms
more shan comparative, Shans plural, Shan plural, most shan superlative
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The festival celebrated traditional _____ dress and dance.
Etymology
Origin uncertain; the adjective sense may derive from "shand" ("worthless"), possibly via Romani.