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Pan

/pæn/
IPA guide

Other forms: Pans

In Greek mythology, Pan is the god of woods, fields, and shepherds. Unlike other gods, who were worshipped in temples, Pan was honored outdoors.

In art, Pan is usually depicted as half goat (with hooves, a tail, and horns), playing a pan flute. In fact, the musical instrument gets its name from Pan, through a myth that tells of the god's love for the wood nymph Syrinx, who was turned into a reed to avoid his attentions. When Pan heard the beautiful sound of air blowing across the reeds, he cut seven of them to make an instrument that would remind him of Syrinx.

Definitions of Pan
  1. noun
    (Greek mythology) god of fields and woods and shepherds and flocks; represented as a man with goat's legs and horns and ears; identified with Roman Sylvanus or Faunus
    synonyms: goat god
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    example of:
    Greek deity
    a deity worshipped by the ancient Greeks
  2. noun
    chimpanzees; more closely related to Australopithecus than to other pongids
    synonyms: genus Pan
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    type of:
    mammal genus
    a genus of mammals
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