fanlike
1
3.8
- adjective
- /ˈfænˌlaɪk/
- The design of the room featured fanlike structures that spread out from the ceiling, creating a stunning visual effect.
- fanlike tail
Examples
-
Indeed, as I look at the articles, arrayed before me in fanlike tiers, I get the odd feeling that the old oak ruble on which I have eaten so many thousands of dinners has been set not with its customary china and silver but with my intellectual autobiography.
Academic text (1998) -
Many are nearly invisible in their home habitats; others announce their presence to their neighbors and warn off potential rivals by flashing colorful dewlaps or fanlike structures that lie just underneath their lower jaws.
Academic text (2006) -
Hanging from tree limbs are hundreds of decorative cages containing singing finches and exotic birds with gorgeous plumage, punk crests, and fanlike tails.
Fiction book (1996) -
The large fish displayed its vibrant, fanlike fins as it swam gracefully through the coral reef.
-
Palm trees are known for their fanlike leaves that arch beautifully over the sandy beach.
Synonyms
8
4.3
Spread out like an open fan
1
3.5
Shaped like a fan that spreads out from a center point
How Fanlike
Surface Forms
Morphology
Etymology
Fanlike comes from the common word fan, the hand tool that opens and spreads, and the ending -like, which means 'similar to'. Think of a peacock's tail or a palm leaf that opens out like a fan, so fanlike means 'resembling a fan' or 'spread out'.