pan

[ pan ]

/ pæn /

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.

Origin of pan

before 900; Middle English, Old English panne; cognate with Dutch pan, German Pfanne, Old Norse panna

OTHER WORDS FROM pan

pan·ner, noun

Words nearby pan

pampoen, pampootie, pamprodactylous, pamuk, pamyat, pan, pan american games, pan american union, pan and scan, pan and tilt head, pan gravy

British Dictionary definitions for pan out (1 of 5)

pan out

verb

(intr, adverb) informal to work out; turn out; result

British Dictionary definitions for pan out (2 of 5)

Pan

/ (pæn) /

noun

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

British Dictionary definitions for pan out (3 of 5)

pan ¹

/ (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 harshly the 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 out (4 of 5)

pan ²

/ (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 out (5 of 5)

pan ³

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

Cultural definitions for pan out

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.”

Idioms and Phrases with pan out (1 of 2)

pan out

Turn out well, succeed, as in If I don't pan out as a musician, I can always go back to school. This expression alludes to washing gold from gravel in a pan. [Mid-1800s]

Idioms and Phrases with pan out (2 of 2)

pan

In addition to the idiom beginning with pan

pan out

also see:

flash in the pan
out of the frying pan

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

pan

noun

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

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

Verb Phrases

Origin of pan

OTHER WORDS FROM pan

Words nearby pan

British Dictionary definitions for pan out (1 of 5)

verb

British Dictionary definitions for pan out (2 of 5)

noun

British Dictionary definitions for pan out (3 of 5)

noun

verb pans, panning or panned

Word Origin for pan

British Dictionary definitions for pan out (4 of 5)

verb pans, panning or panned

noun

Word Origin for pan

British Dictionary definitions for pan out (5 of 5)

paan (pɑːn)

noun

Word Origin for pan

Cultural definitions for pan out

notes for Pan

notes for Pan

Idioms and Phrases with pan out (1 of 2)

Idioms and Phrases with pan out (2 of 2)

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

pan

noun

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

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

Verb Phrases

Origin of pan

OTHER WORDS FROM pan

Words nearby pan

Words related to pan out

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []) .push({}); British Dictionary definitions for pan out (1 of 5)

verb

British Dictionary definitions for pan out (2 of 5)

noun

British Dictionary definitions for pan out (3 of 5)

noun

verb pans, panning or panned

Word Origin for pan

British Dictionary definitions for pan out (4 of 5)

verb pans, panning or panned

noun

Word Origin for pan

British Dictionary definitions for pan out (5 of 5)

paan (pɑːn)

noun

Word Origin for pan

Cultural definitions for pan out

notes for Pan

notes for Pan

Idioms and Phrases with pan out (1 of 2)

Idioms and Phrases with pan out (2 of 2)

British Dictionary definitions for pan out (1 of 5)