Archives: Glossary Terms

Etymology 1

From Middle English fane, from Old English fana (“cloth, banner”), from Proto-West Germanic *fanō, from Proto-Germanic *fanô (“cloth, flag”), from Proto-Indo-European *peh₂n- (“to weave; something woven; cloth, fabric, tissue”). Doublet of fanon and vane.

Noun

fane (plural fanes)

1. (obsolete) A weathercock, a weather vane. quotations ▼
2. (obsolete) A banner, especially a military banner. quotations ▼

Etymology 2

From Middle English fane (“temple”), from Latin fanum (“temple, place dedicated to a deity”). Doublet of fanum.

Noun

fane (plural fanes)

1. A temple or sacred place. quotations ▼

Related terms

• profane

A command or act of will that creates something without or as if without further effort According to the Bible, the world was created by fiat.