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Pan

Syllabification: (Pan)

Pronunciation: /pan/

Greek Mythology

Definition of Pan

a god of flocks and herds, typically represented with the horns, ears, and legs of a goat on a man’s body. His sudden appearance was supposed to cause terror similar to that of a frightened and stampeding herd, and the word panic is derived from his name.

Origin:

probably originally in the sense 'the feeder' (i.e., herdsman), although the name was regularly associated with Greek pas or pan (= 'all'), giving rise to his identification as a god of nature or the universe