A type of decorative fan, especially a elaborate folding fan used in the 15th-17th centuries as both a fashion accessory and practical cooling device.
From Old French 'eventail' (fan), derived from Latin 'ventilare' (to fan). The word originally meant any device used for fanning or cooling, particularly the ornate fans popular in Renaissance courts.
Eventails were status symbols for Renaissance nobility—some were made with ivory, silk, jewels, and intricate paintings, and gentlemen would give them as love tokens to ladies they were courting.
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