Fanner

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A tool or machine that produces a current of air to cool or ventilate a space ; an individual who operates or manages a fan or similar device to control airflow
2. An apparatus designed to generate moving air for comfort or drying ; a person who handles or works with a fan to provide ventilation or cooling
3. A mechanical or handheld object that circulates air to reduce heat ; someone who uses or tends a fan to create breeze or improve air circulation

Etymology: "Fanner" is a plain formation: the noun "fan" with the agent suffix "-er," meaning one who or that which performs the action. A fanner is therefore whatever does the fanning, whether a person wielding a hand fan or a machine that moves air. The suffix has a long pedigree in English, and it is what turns a verb or noun into a word for a doer or a device. Adding "-er" to "fan" yields the same pattern as "baker" or "driver," so the word needed no special invention to describe either a human worker or a mechanical apparatus.

Synonyms: fan, blower, airer, ventilator, scooper