A person or device that fans something, especially one who uses a fan to separate grain from chaff or to cool air.
From Old English 'fann' (fan) + '-er' (agent suffix). The word evolved from Latin 'vannus' (winnowing fan), which came from the practice of using fans to separate grain. The agent suffix '-er' was added to create 'fanner' for someone who performs this action.
Before machines, fanners were essential workers in farming—they'd toss grain in the air and use fans to blow away the lighter chaff while heavier grain fell back down. This job was so common it became a recognized occupation, and the word survived even after mechanical winnowers were invented.
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