Wan
WordNet
adjective
(1) Lacking vitality as from weariness or illness or unhappiness
"A wan smile"
(2) Abnormally deficient in color as suggesting physical or emotional distress
"The pallid face of the invalid"
"Her wan face suddenly flushed"
(3) (of light) lacking in intensity or brightness; dim or feeble
"The pale light of a half moon"
"A pale sun"
"The late afternoon light coming through the el tracks fell in pale oblongs on the street"
"A pallid sky"
"The pale (or wan) stars"
"The wan light of dawn"
noun
(4) A computer network that spans a wider area than does a local area network
verb
(5) Become pale and sickly
WiktionaryText
Adjective
- Pale, sickly-looking.
- Dim, faint.
- A wan light from a single bulb
- Bland, uninterested.
- A wan expression
Pinyin syllable
wan
- A transliteration of any of a number of Chinese characters properly represented as having one of four tones, wān, wán, wǎn, or wàn.
Usage notes
English transcriptions of Chinese speech often fail to distinguish between the critical tonal differences employed in the Chinese language, using words such as this one without the appropriate indication of tone.