stan

From Stan (“Stanley”), after the song "Stan" by Eminem (2000),^[1] a fictitious account of the rapper's encounter with an overly obsessive fan named Stan. Sometimes assumed to be a blend of stalker +‎ fan, but perhaps simply chosen for the rhyme.^[2]

• Stan

• (UK, Canada, US) IPA^(key): /stæn/
• enPR: stăn
• Rhymes: -æn

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

stan (plural stans)

2. (Internet slang, sometimes derogatory) An extremely obsessive fan of a person, group, character, or creative work, particularly one whose fixation is unhealthy or intrusive.

   Hypernyms: megafan, superfan, otaku, trash, trufan, uberfan; fan, follower; see also Thesaurus:fan

   Hyponym: sasaeng (K-pop fandom)

   IU stan

   K-pop stan

   Dream stan

   • 2011 October 11, Vanessa Spates, “Whether in Britney's Army or Rihanna's Navy, stans need to surrender to sanity”, in The Lantern, volume 132, number 16, Ohio State University, page 9A:

     I know the in-depth detailed life of a stan because I am one. I'm one of those Lady Gaga fans, […]

   • 2013 March 17, “Selena Gomez: She Is My Queen”, in Sunday Tribune, South Africa:

     I am the biggest stan for Selena because she is my queen. She made Disney interesting and I have always watched her.

   • 2013 December 5, Jake Folsom, “Stans take dedication to extreme heights online, in real life”, in Washington Square News, volume 41, number 104, page 11:

     Incidents have occurred with stans showing up to pop stars' residences, as has happened with Madonna, Taylor Swift and others.

   • 2020 June 21, “TikTok Teens and K-Pop Stans Say They Sank Trump Rally”, in The New York Times‎:

     K-pop stans have been getting increasingly involved in American politics in recent months. After the Trump campaign solicited messages for the president’s birthday on June 8, K-pop stans submitted a stream of prank messages.

   • 2022 April 29, Ezra Marcus, “Johnny Depp Case Brings Stan Culture Into the Courtroom”, in The New York Times‎, →ISSN:

     “Stans will literally go to any extent to defend anyone,” he said of Mr. Depp’s supporters, adding: “Amber Heard, she has not got that fan base.”

• Stan Twitter
• stantwt

stan (third-person singular simple present stans, present participle stanning, simple past and past participle stanned)

2. (slang, transitive, intransitive) To act as a stan (for); to be an obsessive fan (of).

   We stan a queen.

   • For quotations using this term, see Citations:stan.

Back-formation from -stan.

• Stan, 'Stan, 'stan, -stan, -Stan

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /stɑːn/

  • Audio (Southern England):

    (file)

• (US) IPA^(key): /stæn/
• enPR: stän

stan (plural stans)

1. A country - often ex-Soviet - whose name ends with "-stan" such as Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan.
   • 2015 July 30, Jules Boykoff, “Beijing and Almaty contest Winter Olympics in human rights nightmare”, in The Guardian‎:

     This is a stan with a plan. Unlike Uzbekistan […] .

• "Stan" fans on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• Stan Twitter on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

• Tans, nats, ants, ASNT, tans, Nats, Tsan, NATs, NTAs, Sant, Nast

Borrowed from South Slavic, from Proto-Slavic *stanъ (“camp”).^[1][2][3][4]

• IPA^(key): /ˈstan/

stan m (plural stane, definite stani)

1. place with huts and pens for shepherds and cattle; shed, fold, barn; hut, shelter

   Synonyms: tëbanë, bun

   • 1910–1947, “Kur më vjen burri nga stani”, Lasgush Poradeci (lyrics), Kristo Kono (music), performed by Tefta Tashko:

     Kur më vjen burri nga stani // kur më vjen ×3 // fërr-fërr-fërr më bën fustani // fërr-fërr-fërr ×3

     When my husband comes from the barn furr-furr-furr my dress flies.

2. flock of sheep

   Synonyms: kope, grigjë

3. (derogatory) hostile group, gang, unit

   Synonyms: grup, kamp

• “stan”, in FGJSH: Fjalor i gjuhës shqipe [Dictionary of the Albanian language] (in Albanian), 2006
• FGJSSH: Fjalor i gjuhës së sotme shqipe [Dictionary of the modern Albanian language]‎, 1980, page 1787
• Mann, S. E. (1948) “stan”, in An Historical Albanian–English Dictionary, London: Longmans, Green & Co., page 460a

Czech Wikipedia has an article on:

stan

Wikipedia ^cs

Inherited from Old Czech stan, from Proto-Slavic *stanъ.

• IPA^(key):
• Rhymes: -an

stan m inan

1. tent

• “stan”, in Příruční slovník jazyka českého (in Czech), 1935–1957
• “stan”, in Slovník spisovného jazyka českého (in Czech), 1960–1971, 1989
• “stan”, in Internetová jazyková příručka (in Czech), 2008–2025

stan (plural stanes or stan)

1. Alternative form of stone

• stēn

Inherited from Old High German stān, stēn, from Proto-West Germanic *stān.

• IPA^(key): (before 13^th CE) /ˈs̠taːn/

stān (irregular, third-person singular present stāt, past tense stuont, past participle gestān or gestanden, past subjunctive stüende, auxiliary hān)

1. to stand

• Alemannic German: staa, schtaa
• Bavarian:

  Cimbrian: stean

  Mòcheno: stean

  Northern Bavarian:

• Central Franconian: stohn, stonn, stiehn

  Hunsrik: stehn

  Luxembourgish: stoen

• German: stehen
• Rhine Franconian: stehn

  Pennsylvania German:

• Vilamovian: śtejn
• Yiddish: שטיין (shteyn)

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *stanъ.

• IPA^(key): (13^th CE) /ˈstan/
• IPA^(key): (15^th CE) /ˈstan/

stan m inan

1. tent
2. (in the plural) camp; tabernacle
3. inside of the heart
4. interior

• Czech: stan

• Jan Gebauer (1903–1916) “stan”, in Slovník staročeský (in Czech), Prague: Česká grafická společnost "unie", Česká akademie císaře Františka Josefa pro vědy, slovesnost a umění

From Proto-West Germanic *stān, from Proto-Germanic *stāną.

stān

1. To stand.

• antstān
• bistān
• farstān

• Middle Dutch: stâen
  • Dutch: staan
    • Afrikaans: staan
    • Berbice Creole Dutch: tan
    • Jersey Dutch: stân
    • Negerhollands: staan, tan
    • → Biak: vestan
  • Limburgish: staon

• “stān”, in Oudnederlands Woordenboek, 2012

From Proto-West Germanic *stain, from Proto-Germanic *stainaz, from Proto-Indo-European *steyh₂no-, *stih₂-no- (a suffixed form of *steyh₂- (“to be solid, to crowd together”)).

Cognate with Old Frisian stēn, Old Saxon stēn (German Low German Steen), Old Dutch sten, stein (Dutch steen), Old High German stein (German Stein), Old Norse steinn (Icelandic steinn, Faroese steinur, Norwegian Nynorsk stein, Norwegian Bokmål stein, sten, Danish sten, Swedish sten), Gothic 𐍃𐍄𐌰𐌹𐌽𐍃 (stains). The Indo-European root is also the source of Ancient Greek στῖον (stîon, “pebble”), Proto-Slavic *stěnà (Bulgarian стена (stena), Russian стена́ (stená), Czech stěna (“wall”)).

• IPA^(key): /stɑːn/

stān m

1. stone
   • c. 1000, Ælfric of Eynsham (tr.), Hexameron of St. Basil:

     Fȳr is behȳd on heardum stānum, sē stān cymð of eorðan, and hē swǣt swā ðēah, and of stānclūdum cumað wyllspringas.

     Fire is hidden within hard stones, the stone comes from the earth, which sweats, and so wellsprings come from the rocks.

Strong a-stem:

• stǣnen
• stǣner

• Middle English: ston, stan, stane, stoan, stone, stoon, stoone
  • English: stone (see there for further descendants)
  • Geordie English: styen
  • Scots: stane
  • Yola: sthoan
  • → Anglo-Norman: ston

• stēn — see there for more

From Proto-West Germanic *stān.

• IPA^(key): /s̠taːn/

stān

1. to stand

• The ā-form was found especially in Alemannic and in western Franconian. In the former, the vocalism was regularized early on (du stās, er stāt); in the latter, the West Germanic vowel alternation (du steis, he steit) has been preserved even to this day.

• Middle High German: stān, stēn
  • Alemannic German: staa, schtaa
  • Bavarian:

    Cimbrian: stean

    Mòcheno: stean

    Northern Bavarian:

  • Central Franconian: stohn, stonn, stiehn

    Hunsrik: stehn

    Luxembourgish: stoen

  • German: stehen
  • Rhine Franconian: stehn

    Pennsylvania German:

  • Vilamovian: śtejn
  • Yiddish: שטיין (shteyn)

• gān

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *stanъ. First attested in the 12th century.

• IPA^(key): (10^th–15^th CE) /staːn/
• IPA^(key): (15^th CE) /stɒn/

stan m inan (diminutive stanek, augmentative stanowisko or stanowiszcze, related adjective stanowy)

1. (attested in Masovia) duty to support a ruler and his court, officials or team during a trip around the country, imposed on the rural population, converted over time into a tribute in kind or a pecuniary fee
   • 1863 [1239], Jan Tadeusz Lubomirski, editor, Kodeks dyplomatyczny księstwa mazowieckiego‎, Masovia, page 12:

     Quod neque przewoz, neque stan ducale et exercitus... ab eisdem hominibuis dux terre... expetet

     [Quod neque przewoz, neque stan ducale et exercitus... ab eisdem hominibuis dux terre... expetet]

   • 1863 [1447], Jan Tadeusz Lubomirski, editor, Kodeks dyplomatyczny księstwa mazowieckiego‎, Masovia, page 213:

     Ab eisdem serviciis, videlicet portacione pabulorum al. pycza, a coquina, ac tentoriis et habitaculorum al. stany laboribus absoluimus et liberamus

     [Ab eisdem serviciis, videlicet portacione pabulorum al. picia, a coquina, ac tentoriis et habitaculorum al. stany laboribus absoluimus et liberamus]

2. stopping, halting
   • 1856-1870 [1497], Antoni Zygmunt Helcel, editor, Starodawne Prawa Polskiego Pomniki‎, volume VII, number 70:

     Quia nobilis Martinus... liberum misit nobilem Bernardum... a iuramento pro eo, quia ipsum reconvenit, quia ipse misit familiam suam in viam in stationibus al. w stanyech et qui vulneraverunt ipsum Martinum

     [Quia nobilis Martinus... liberum misit nobilem Bernardum... a iuramento pro eo, quia ipsum reconvenit, quia ipse misit familiam suam in viam in stationibus al. w staniech et qui vulneraverunt ipsum Martinum]

3. (attested in Masovia) place of stopping or halting
   • 1895 [1448–1450], Mikołaj Suled, edited by Franciszek Piekosiński, Tłumaczenia polskie statutów ziemskich, Kodeks Świętosławów, Warka, page 21:

     Wstawyami, aby ryczerz... pod pewną podnyeszoną chorangwyą na yey stanye (cum sua statione) staal

     [Ustawiamy, aby rycerz... pod pewną podniesioną chorągwią na jej stanie (cum sua statione) stał]

4. (attested in Lesser Poland, Greater Poland) natural or artificial dwelling; temporary shelter, especially a tent
   • 1939 [end of the 14th century], Ryszard Ganszyniec, Witold Taszycki, Stefan Kubica, Ludwik Bernacki, editors, Psałterz florjański łacińsko-polsko-niemiecki [Sankt Florian Psalter]‎, Krakow: Zakład Narodowy imienia Ossolińskich, z zasiłkiem Sejmu Śląskiego [The Ossoliński National Institute: with the benefit of the Silesian Parliament], pages 17, 13:

     W okrødze iego stan (tabernaculum) iego

     [W okrędze jego stan (tabernaculum) jego]

   • 1939 [end of the 14th century], Ryszard Ganszyniec, Witold Taszycki, Stefan Kubica, Ludwik Bernacki, editors, Psałterz florjański łacińsko-polsko-niemiecki [Sankt Florian Psalter]‎, Krakow: Zakład Narodowy imienia Ossolińskich, z zasiłkiem Sejmu Śląskiego [The Ossoliński National Institute: with the benefit of the Silesian Parliament], pages 59, 6:

     Nyzinø stanow (convallem tabernaculorum) rozmerzø

     [Nizinę stanow (convallem tabernaculorum) rozmierzę]

   • 1974 [1410], Henryk Kowalewicz, Władysław Kuraszkiewicz, editors, Wielkopolskie roty sądowe XIV-XV wieku, Roty kaliskie‎, volume IV, number 315, Kalisz:

     Jaco Janusz ne beszal gwaltem na Stanislaw stan ani mu ran dal

     [Jako Janusz nie bieżał gwałtem na Stanisław stan ani mu ran dał]

5. place to stand; position
   • 1930 [c. 1455], “Gen”, in Ludwik Bernacki, editor, Biblia królowej Zofii (Biblia szaroszpatacka)‎, 7, 16:

     A ktore gest weszlo samyecz a samycza wszelkyego stworzenya, to gest kaszde w gego stan wwyodl, yakosz mu (sc. Noemu) to bil bog przikazal

     [A ktore jest weszło samiec a samica wszelkiego stworzenia, to jest każde w jego stan wwiodł, jakoż mu (sc. Noemu) to był Bog przykazał]

6. (in the plural, sometimes military, attested in Lesser Poland) encampment, (area of the camp)
   • 1939 [end of the 14th century], Ryszard Ganszyniec, Witold Taszycki, Stefan Kubica, Ludwik Bernacki, editors, Psałterz florjański łacińsko-polsko-niemiecki [Sankt Florian Psalter]‎, Krakow: Zakład Narodowy imienia Ossolińskich, z zasiłkiem Sejmu Śląskiego [The Ossoliński National Institute: with the benefit of the Silesian Parliament], pages 105, 17:

     Rozgnyewaly... Moyszesza w stanyech (in castris)

     [Rozgniewali... Mojiżesza w staniech (in castris)]

7. hunting lodge
   • 1921 [1471], Kazimierz Tymieniecki, editor, Procesy twórcze formowania się społeczeństwa polskiego w wiekach średnich‎, page 197:

     Jako Rawa... w xanzeyi pusczyey podle swogych stanow w szwem sznamyenyv syeczy any stampycz na swyerz nye *stawyam

     [Jako Rawa... w księżej puszczej podle swojich stanow w swem znamieniu sieci ani stępic na źwierz nie stawia]

8. storage building; granary
   • 1856-1870 [1497], Antoni Zygmunt Helcel, editor, Starodawne Prawa Polskiego Pomniki‎, volume VII, number 6:

     Qui Albertus et Iacobus non venerunt, neque ipsam solutionem... fecerunt et domini iudicio praesidentes.. decreverunt ipsi nobili Ioni Boyanszki et iudicio domini palatini pignus de ipsius reposito al. sztanu et dederunt ac decreverunt sibi ministerialem ad expignorandum

     [Qui Albertus et Iacobus non venerunt, neque ipsam solutionem... fecerunt et domini iudicio praesidentes.. decreverunt ipsi nobili Joni Bojański et iudicio domini palatini pignus de ipsius reposito al. stanu et dederunt ac decreverunt sibi ministerialem ad expignorandum]

9. circle, circumference, region
   • 1880-1894 [Middle of the fifteenth century], Sprawozdania Komisji Językowej Akademii Umiejętności‎, volume V, page 253:

     Et ita fuit descriptum, quot homines erant in civitatibus, quot ciuitates in regione, w kalsdem gbycze, stanye, et quot regiones in orbe stanow bylo na szwyecze

     [Et ita fuit descriptum, quot homines erant in civitatibus, quot ciuitates in regione, w kalżdem gbicie, stanie, et quot regiones in orbe stanow było na świecie]

10. (attested in Pomerania, Greater Poland) armed host of angel
    • 1874-1891 [Fifteenth century], Rozprawy i Sprawozdania z Posiedzeń Wydziału Filologicznego Akademii Umiejętności‎^{, ,} , volume XXIV, Grochów, West Pomeranian Voivodeship, Kcynia, page 69:

      Inter quos (sc. angelos)... principem milicie, stanu, constituerat, sc. Luciferum

      [Inter quos (sc. angelos)... principem milicie, stanu, constituerat, sc. Luciferum]

11. state (set of circumstances applying at any given time)
    • 1461–1467, Sermones. Rękopiśmienne ekscerpty pochodzące z rkpsu Archiwum i Biblioteki Krakowskiej Kapituły Katedralnej o sygn. 230 (dawna sygn. 1421/108 Mns) z roku 1461-1467, page 91v:

      Mutatur a presentis statu, sta nineszego, dileccionis ad carenciam diuine uisionis [ku p]ostradanyv dzena bozego

      [Mutatur a presentis statu, sta ninieszego, dileccionis ad carenciam diuine uisionis [ku p]ostradaniu dzenia bożego]

• Polish: stan
• Silesian: stōn

• Boryś, Wiesław (2005) “stan”, in Słownik etymologiczny języka polskiego (in Polish), Kraków: Wydawnictwo Literackie, →ISBN
• B. Sieradzka-Baziur, Ewa Deptuchowa, Joanna Duska, Mariusz Frodyma, Beata Hejmo, Dorota Janeczko, Katarzyna Jasińska, Krystyna Kajtoch, Joanna Kozioł, Marian Kucała, Dorota Mika, Gabriela Niemiec, Urszula Poprawska, Elżbieta Supranowicz, Ludwika Szelachowska-Winiarzowa, Zofia Wanicowa, Piotr Szpor, Bartłomiej Borek, editors (2011–2015), “stan”, in Słownik pojęciowy języka staropolskiego [Conceptual Dictionary of Old Polish] (in Polish), Kraków: IJP PAN, →ISBN

• standan

From Proto-West Germanic *stān, from Proto-Germanic *stāną.

stān

1. To stand.

• Middle Low German: stān
  • German Low German: stahn

Polish Wikipedia has an article on:

stan

Wikipedia ^pl

Inherited from Old Polish stan. Sense 1, sense 2 and sense 10 are semantic loans from Latin status.

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -an
• Syllabification: stan

stan m inan (abbreviation st.)

2. state (a condition; a set of circumstances applying at any given time)

   Synonym: kondycja

4. (politics) state (political division of a federation retaining a notable degree of autonomy, as in the United States, Mexico, Nigeria, or India)
5. (historical) state, echelon; caste; level (layer of society during the Middle Ages)
6. ring (group of people based on their profession or social function)
7. (literary, anatomy) waist (the part of the body between the pelvis and the stomach)

   Synonym: talia

8. (literary) waist (a part of a piece of clothing that covers the waist)
9. (dated, anatomy) upper body
10. top (a garment worn to cover the upper body)
11. part of clothing worn on the lower body between the crotch and belt (Is there an English equivalent to this definition?)
13. (obsolete) state (sovereign polity)
14. shape, form

    Synonyms: forma, postać

15. state, mood

    Synonyms: nastrój, usposobienie

16. (obsolete) number, amount

    Synonyms: ilość, liczba

17. (Middle Polish, now historical) obligation to provide room and board during the journey of the ruler and his retinue, later changed into an annual monetary tribute

    Synonym: stacja

18. (obsolete) four cubits of linen
19. (obsolete) profession

    Synonym: zawód

20. (obsolete) bra, small corset

    Synonyms: stanik, gorsecik

21. (obsolete, bureaucracy) document containing the office hours and location of a given official
22. (obsolete, beekeeping) beekeeper's shelter in the woods
23. (obsolete) flowerpot

    Synonyms: donica, wazon

24. (obsolete) four wheels

• stan in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• stan in Polish dictionaries at PWN
• Maria Renata Mayenowa, Stanisław Rospond, Witold Taszycki, Stefan Hrabec, Władysław Kuraszkiewicz (2010-2023) “stan”, in Słownik Polszczyzny XVI Wieku [A Dictionary of 16th Century Polish]
• “STAN”, in Elektroniczny Słownik Języka Polskiego XVII i XVIII Wieku [Electronic Dictionary of the Polish Language of the XVII and XVIII Century], 2009 February 17
• Samuel Bogumił Linde (1807–1814) “stan”, in Słownik języka polskiego
• Aleksander Zdanowicz (1861) “stan”, in Słownik języka polskiego, Wilno 1861
• J. Karłowicz, A. Kryński, W. Niedźwiedzki, editors (1915), “stan”, in Słownik języka polskiego (in Polish), volume 6, Warsaw, page 387
• stan in Narodowy Fotokorpus Języka Polskiego
• Wanda Decyk-Zięba, editor (2018-2022), “stan”, in Dydaktyczny Słownik Etymologiczno-historyczny Języka Polskiego [A Didactic, Historical, Etymological Dictionary of the Polish Language] (in Polish), →ISBN

stan n (plural stanuri)

1. Alternative form of stană

Serbo-Croatian Wikipedia has an article on:

stan

Wikipedia ^sh

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *stanъ.

• IPA^(key): /stâːn/
• Rhymes: -âːn

stȃn m (Cyrillic spelling ста̑н)

1. flat, apartment
2. loom (tkàlačkī stȃn)

• For quotations using this term, see Citations:stan.

• stàmbenī
• stànār
  • sȕstanār
    • sȕstanārka

• “stan”, in Hrvatski jezični portal [Croatian language portal] (in Serbo-Croatian), 2006–2025

Slovak Wikipedia has an article on:

stan

Wikipedia ^sk

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *stanъ.

• IPA^(key):
• Rhymes: -an

stan m inan (genitive singular stanu, nominative plural stany, genitive plural stanov, declension pattern of dub)

1. tent
2. (slang) erection, hard-on

• “stan”, in Slovníkový portál Jazykovedného ústavu Ľ. Štúra SAV [Dictionary portal of the Ľ. Štúr Institute of Linguistics, Slovak Academy of Science] (in Slovak), https://slovnik.juls.savba.sk, 2003–2025

• sta'n

Contraction of staden, the definite singular of stad.

stan

1. (colloquial or idiomatic) Alternative form of staden (“the city, the town”) (See the usage notes below for when "stan" is idiomatic. All usage examples below are idiomatic except the last.)

   Vi gick ner på stan

   We went downtown

   (literally, “We went down on the town”)

   Det är fest nere på stan

   There is a party downtown

   (literally, “There is party down on the town”)

   åka in till stan

   go into town

   (literally, “go in to the town”)

   Vi ska in till stan och handla. Vill du ha någonting?

   We are going into town to shop. Do you want anything?

   (literally, “We shall in to the town and shop. Do you want anything?”)

   Vi är i/på stan och handlar

   We are in town shopping

   (literally, “We are in/on the town and shop”)

   Vi är inne i stan och handlar

   We are in town shopping

   (literally, “We are inside the town and shop”)

   Det är fest i/på stan

   There is a party in town

   (literally, “There is party in/on the town”)

   Det är fest inne i stan

   There is a party in town

   (literally, “There is party inside the town”)

   Jag har aldrig varit i den stan

   I have never been to that city

• As a rule of thumb, "stan" as opposed to "staden" is idiomatic and not colloquial in cases where "town" is more idiomatic than "the town" in English, being lexicalized and treated more like a place name. The native intuition is similar, intuitively wanting to translate "stan" as "town" rather than "the town."
• "På staden" as opposed to "på stan" is rare.
• "På stan" as opposed to "i stan" emphasizes the town as the location of some activity (see på), though it is fairly subtle. Preposition preference might also vary depending on dialect.
• The examples above also apply to villages (byar) and the like, except without any special idiomatic contracted form. "På byn" (on the village) also sounds more dialectal or rustic.
• Stockholmers insist that stan always refers to Stockholm and no other cities. The phrase inte i stan (“not in the town”) to them means outside of Stockholm, but to other Swedes it means outside of any town, i.e., in the countryside.

• stan in Svensk ordbok (SO)
• stan in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
• stad in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)

• sant