Added 9 October 2026
wan
/wɒn/ symbol
In Latin: exsanguis Wiktionary
symbol Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about wan at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
adjective
- Pale, sickly-looking.
- Dim, faint.
-
Bland, uninterested.
A wan expression
noun
noun
- Pronunciation spelling of one, representing Ireland and Glasgow English.
- A girl or woman.
Origin
From Middle English wan, wanne (“grey, leaden; pale grey, ashen; blue-black (like a bruise); dim, faint; dark, gloomy”), from Old English wann (“dark, dusky”), from Proto-Germanic *wannaz (“dark, swart”), of uncertain origin. Cognate with Old Frisian wann, wonn (“dark”). The meaning and sense has been attributed to influence from Proto-Brythonic, Proto-Celtic *wasnos (cf. Welsh gwan. Irish fann).
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)