As a supporter, what's the origin of the term "fan?"
Native speaker’s answer
Rebecca
In terms of "fan" meaning "supporter" it supposedly comes from the word "fanatic," which means someone's extreme admiration for something. Although, some people think it comes from the word "fancy" when describing the people who would watch sports as "fancy" in older times. Ex: Baseball is quite popular among fancy young men. => dated use of "fancy." Ex: Shaun's always been a fitness fanatic.