pan

[ pan ]

/ pæn /

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noun

a broad, shallow container of metal, usually having sides flaring outward toward the top, used in various forms for frying, baking, washing, etc.

any similar receptacle or part, as the scales of a balance.

the amount a pan holds or can hold; panful: a pan of shelled peas.

any of various open or closed containers used in industrial or mechanical processes.

a container in which silver ores are ground and amalgamated.

a container in which gold or other heavy, valuable metals are separated from gravel or other substances by agitation with water.

a drifting piece of flat, thin ice, as formed on a shore or bay.

a natural depression in the ground, as one containing water, mud, or mineral salts.

a similar depression made artificially, as for evaporating salt water to make salt.

(in old guns) the depressed part of the lock, holding the priming.

Also panning . an unfavorable review, critique, or appraisal: The show got one rave and three pans.

Slang. the face.

verb (used with object), panned, pan·ning.

Informal. to criticize severely, as in a review of a play.

to wash (gravel, sand, etc.) in a pan to separate gold or other heavy valuable metal.

to cook (oysters, clams, etc.) in a pan.

verb (used without object), panned, pan·ning.

to wash gravel, sand, etc., in a pan in seeking gold or the like.

to yield gold or the like, as gravel washed in a pan.

Verb Phrases

pan out, Informal. to turn out, especially successfully: The couple's reconciliation just didn't pan out.

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CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of pan

First recorded before 900; Middle English, Old English panne; cognate with Dutch pan, German Pfanne, Old Norse panna; further origin uncertain, perhaps from assumed Vulgar Latin patna, panna “pan,” from Latin patena, patina “shallow dish, shallow pan, stewpan,” from Greek patánē “dish, flat dish.” Pan, in the sense “face,” is an Americanism first recorded in 1920–25; see origin at paten

OTHER WORDS FROM pan

panner, noun

Other definitions for pan (2 of 8)

pan²

[ pan ]

/ pæn /

verb (used without object), panned, pan·ning.

to film, photograph, or televise something with the camera fixed in place and pivoted horizontally left or right, in order to keep a moving person or object in view or to capture a panorama: They usually pan from one end of the playing field to the other during the opening of the football game.

(of a camera) to be pivoted horizontally to the right or left from a fixed place in order to keep a moving person or object in view or to capture a panorama: The cameras panned occasionally during the scene.

verb (used with object), panned, pan·ning.

to pivot (a camera) on its horizontal axis in order to follow a moving person or thing, or to capture an extended view: to pan the camera across the scene.

to photograph, film, or televise (a scene, moving character, etc.) by pivoting the camera on its horizontal axis:pan the skyline.

noun

the act of pivoting a camera, which is fixed in place, to the left or right.

Also called panning shot . the filmed shot resulting from this.

Origin of pan

First recorded in 1920–25; shortening of panorama

Other definitions for pan (3 of 8)

pan³

[ pan ]

/ pæn /

noun

a major vertical division of a wall.

a nogged panel of half-timber construction.

Origin of pan

First recorded in 1735–45; from French, Middle French; see origin at pane

Other definitions for pan (4 of 8)

pan⁴

[ pahn ]

/ pɑn /

noun

the leaf of the betel.

a substance, especially betel nut or a betel-nut mixture, used for chewing.

Origin of pan

⁴

First recorded in 1610–20; from Hindi pān; compare Pali, Prakrit paṇṇa, Sanskrit parṇa “leaf, betel leaf”

Other definitions for pan (5 of 8)

pan⁵

[ pahn ]

/ pɑn /

noun Informal.

panguingue.

Origin of pan

⁵

First recorded in 1935–40; by shortening

Other definitions for pan (6 of 8)

Pan

[ pan ]

/ pæn /

noun

the ancient Greek god of forests, pastures, flocks, and shepherds, represented with the head, chest, and arms of a man and the legs and sometimes the horns and ears of a goat.

Other definitions for pan (7 of 8)

pan-

a combining form meaning “all,” occurring originally in loanwords from Greek (panacea; panoply), but now used freely as a general formative (panleukopenia; panorama; pantelegraph; pantheism; pantonality), and especially in terms, formed at will, implying the union of all branches of a group (Pan-Christian; Panhellenic; Pan-Slavism). The hyphen and the second capital tend with longer use to be lost, unless they are retained in order to set off clearly the component parts.

Also pant-, panto- .

Origin of pan-

<Greek pan- combining form of pâs (neuter pân) all, every, pân everything

Other definitions for pan (8 of 8)

Pan.

abbreviation

Panama.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

WORDS THAT USE PAN-

What does pan- mean?

Pan- is a combining form used like a prefix meaning “all.” It is often used in a variety of scientific and technical terms, particularly in pathology.

Pan- comes from the Greek pâs, meaning “all.” The term pancreas, a gland in the stomach, is ultimately related to this same Greek root. So do panacea and many other words English gets from Greek. The equivalent form derived from Latin is omni-, as in omnivore, which comes from Latin omnis, “all.”

What are variants of pan-?

Pan- is a variant of panto-. Another variant of pan- is pant-, as in pantalgia. Want to know more? Read our Words That Use articles on pant- and panto-.

Examples of pan-

One example of a term you may have encountered that features the combining form pan- is pantheon, meaning “the gods of a particular mythology considered collectively.”

The pan- part of the word means “all,” while the -theon part of the word here means “god.” Pantheon has a literal sense of “all gods.”

What are some words that use the combining form pan-?

panacea (using the equivalent form of pan- in Greek)
panangiitis
panatheism
panegyric (using the equivalent form of pan- in Greek)
pandemonium
pangender
pangram
panmyelosis
pansexual
pantheism (using the equivalent form of pan- in French)

What are some other forms that pan- may be commonly confused with?

Not every word that begins with the exact letters pan-, such as pancake or panda, is necessarily using the combining form pan- to denote “all.” Learn where the word panda comes from at our entry for the word.

Break it down!

The combining form -gram means “something written.” With this in mind, how many letters of the alphabet are used in a sentence known as a pangram?

How to use pan in a sentence

While the beans are cooling and drying, melt the butter in a saute pan over medium heat.
Make Carla Hall’s Crispy Shallot Green Bean Casserole|Carla Hall|December 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Remove the roast from the pan and let rest for a minimum of 15 minutes.
Make Carla Hall’s Roasted Pork Loin With Cranberries|Carla Hall|December 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
While the pork is resting, heat a large, heavy-bottomed pan over medium-high heat.
Make Carla Hall’s Roasted Pork Loin With Cranberries|Carla Hall|December 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Finish the sauce by putting the roasting pan on the stovetop over medium-high heat.
Make Carla Hall’s Roasted Pork Loin With Cranberries|Carla Hall|December 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Heat a large sauté pan over medium-high heat and add olive oil.
Make Carla Hall’s Roasted Pork Loin With Cranberries|Carla Hall|December 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He watched the man put some bread and milk in a tin pan, and set it down on the floor of the basket.
Squinty the Comical Pig|Richard Barnum
Then said Nqong from his bath in the salt-pan, "Come and ask me about it to-morrow, because I'm going to wash."
Kipling Stories and Poems Every Child Should Know, Book II|Rudyard Kipling
But who knows whether we shall ever see Sennoures, ever hear the Egyptian Pan by the water?
Bella Donna|Robert Hichens
In some English schools the first syllable in “panis” sounds “pan,” in others “pain.”
Assimilative Memory|Marcus Dwight Larrowe (AKA Prof. A. Loisette)
Shell jump out of the frying-pan into the fire, then; for the Townes, mother and son, are not worth a quarter of it.
Tessa Wadsworth's Discipline|Jennie M. Drinkwater

British Dictionary definitions for pan (1 of 6)

pan¹

/ (pæn) /

noun

a wide metal vessel used in cooking
(in combination)saucepan

Also called: panful the amount such a vessel will hold

any of various similar vessels used esp in industry, as for boiling liquids

a dish used by prospectors, esp gold prospectors, for separating a valuable mineral from the gravel or earth containing it by washing and agitating

either of the two dishlike receptacles on a balance

Also called: lavatory pan British the bowl of a lavatory

a natural or artificial depression in the ground where salt can be obtained by the evaporation of brine
a natural depression containing water or mud

Caribbean the indented top from an oil drum used as the treble drum in a steel band

See hardpan, brainpan

a small ice floe

a slang word for face (def. 1a)

a small cavity containing priming powder in the locks of old guns

a hard substratum of soil

short for pan loaf

verb pans, panning or panned

(when tr, often foll by off or out) to wash (gravel) in a pan to separate particles of (valuable minerals) from it

(intr often foll by out) (of gravel) to yield valuable minerals by this process

(tr) informal to criticize harshlythe critics panned his new play

Word Origin for pan

Old English panne; related to Old Saxon, Old Norse panna, Old High German pfanna

British Dictionary definitions for pan (2 of 6)

pan²

/ (pæn) /

verb pans, panning or panned

to move (a film camera) or (of a film camera) to be moved so as to follow a moving object or obtain a panoramic effect

noun

the act of panning
(as modifier)a pan shot

Word Origin for pan

C20: shortened from panoramic

British Dictionary definitions for pan (3 of 6)

pan³

paan (pɑːn)

/ (pæn) /

noun

the leaf of the betel tree

a preparation of this leaf which is chewed, together with betel nuts and lime, in India and the East Indies

Word Origin for pan

C17: from Hindi, from Sanskrit parna feather, wing, leaf

British Dictionary definitions for pan (4 of 6)

Pan

/ (pæn) /

noun

Greek myth the god of fields, woods, shepherds, and flocks, represented as a man with a goat's legs, horns, and earsRelated adjectives: Pandean, Panic

British Dictionary definitions for pan (5 of 6)

pan-

combining form

all or everypanchromatic

including or relating to all parts or membersPan-African; pantheistic

Word Origin for pan-

from Greek pan, neuter of pas all

British Dictionary definitions for pan (6 of 6)

Pan.

abbreviation for

Panama

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for pan

Pan

The Greek god of flocks, forests, meadows, and shepherds. He had the horns and feet of a goat. Pan frolicked about the landscape, playing delightful tunes.

notes for Pan

Pan's musical instrument was a set of reed pipes, the “pipes of Pan.”

notes for Pan

According to legend, Pan was the source of scary noises in the wilderness at night. Fright at these noises was called “panic.”

Other Idioms and Phrases with pan

pan

In addition to the idiom beginning with pan

pan out

also see:

flash in the pan
out of the frying pan

pan

Origin of pan

OTHER WORDS FROM pan

Other definitions for pan (2 of 8)

Origin of pan

Other definitions for pan (3 of 8)

Origin of pan

Other definitions for pan (4 of 8)

Origin of pan

Other definitions for pan (5 of 8)

Origin of pan

Other definitions for pan (6 of 8)

Other definitions for pan (7 of 8)

Origin of pan-

Other definitions for pan (8 of 8)

WORDS THAT USE PAN-

What does pan- mean?

Examples of pan-

Break it down!

Words related to pan

How to use pan in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for pan (1 of 6)

Word Origin for pan

British Dictionary definitions for pan (2 of 6)

Word Origin for pan

British Dictionary definitions for pan (3 of 6)

paan (pɑːn)

Word Origin for pan

British Dictionary definitions for pan (4 of 6)

British Dictionary definitions for pan (5 of 6)

Word Origin for pan-

British Dictionary definitions for pan (6 of 6)

Cultural definitions for pan

notes for Pan

notes for Pan

Other Idioms and Phrases with pan