Pan
Pronunciation
- IPA: /pæn/
- Rhymes: -æn
Origin 1
From Old English panne, from Proto-Germanic *pannÅn. Cognate with Dutch pan, German Pfanne.
Full definition of pan
Noun
pan
(plural pans)- A wide, flat receptacle used around the house, especially for cooking
- The contents of such a receptacle
- A cylindrical receptacle about as tall as it is wide, with one long handle, usually made of metal, used for cooking in the home
- (Ireland) A deep plastic receptacle, used for washing or food preparation. A basin.
- A wide receptacle in which gold grains are separated from gravel by washing the contents with water
- (geography) a specific type of lake, natural depression or basin. They are sometimes associated with desert areas
- Strong adverse criticism
- A loaf of bread
- The base part of a toilet, consisting of a bowl and a footing
- (slang) A human face, a mug.
- 1953, Raymond Chandler, The Long Goodbye, Penguin 2010, p. 103:This was the kind of operator who would tell you to be there at nine sharp and if you weren't sitting quietly with a pleased smile on your pan when he floated in two hours later on a double Gibson, he would have a paroxysm of outraged executive ability ….
- (roofing) The bottom flat part of a roofing panel that is between the ribs of the panel
- A closed vessel for boiling or evaporating as part of manufacture; a vacuum pan.
- The part of a flintlock that holds the priming.
- The skull, considered as a vessel containing the brain; the brain-pan.
- (carpentry) A recess, or bed, for the leaf of a hinge.
- The hard stratum of earth that lies below the soil; hardpan.
Synonyms
- (flat receptacle): frying pan, skillet, cookie sheet
- (tall receptacle): saucepan
Derived terms
- bedpan re nursing
- deadpan
- flash in the pan re (a short-term celebrity)
- frying pan re used for cooking
- pan former
- pan man
- panyard
- saucepan re used for cooking
- baking pan re used for cooking
Verb
- (transitive) To wash in a pan (of earth, sand etc. when searching for gold).
- General ShermanWe ... witnessed the process of cleaning up and panning out, which is the last process of separating the pure gold from the fine dirt and black sand.
- (transitive) To disparage; to belittle; to put down; to criticise severely.
- (intransitive) With "out" (to pan out), to turn out well; to be successful.
- (transitive, informal, of a contest) To beat one's opposition convincingly.
Coordinate terms
- (wash in mining) sluice
Origin 2
From a clipped form of panorama.
Verb
- to turn horizontally (of a camera etc.)
- (intransitive, photography) to move the camera lens angle while continuing to expose the film, enabling a contiguous view and enrichment of context. In still-photography large-group portraits the film usually remains on a horizontal fixed plane as the lens and/or the film holder moves to expose the film laterally. The resulting image may extend a short distance laterally or as great as 360 degrees from the point where the film first began to be exposed.
- (audio) To spread a sound signal into a new stereo or multichannel sound field, typically giving the impression that it is moving across the sound stage.
Derived terms
Origin 3
Origin 4
Compare French pan ("skirt, lappet"), Latin pannus ("a cloth, rag").
Verb
- To join or fit together; to unite.
Origin 5
Old English. See pane.
Noun
pan
(plural pans)Origin 6
From pansexual by shortening.
Adjective
pan
- (slang) Pansexual.
- 2012, Anna Waugh, "Texas got a pansexual legislator", Dallas Voice, Volume 29, Issue 33, 28 December 2012, page 9:When she publicly acknowledged that she is pan, it educated citizens near and far on what that sexuality meant and the importance of being proud of who you are.
- 2013, Alejandra Rodriguez, "Isn't That Bisexual?", Outwrite, Fall 2013, page 7:Another anonymous pansexual disclosed, "Sometimes I feel really left out because I'm pan.
- 2013, Megan Hertner, "Understanding Gender and Sexuality", Grapevine (Huron University College), December 2013, page 19:A similar experience is shared by individuals who identify their sexuality as pan, bi or queer.