Fan. An instrument used to separate the chaff from the grain. Isaiah 30:24; Jeremiah 15:7; Matthew 3:12; Luke 3:17. The shovel in Isaiah is probably something used to separate the grain from the straw. It was perhaps a broad scoop by which the corn was thrown against the wind, often, doubtless, during the evening breeze, Ruth 3:2, in order that the chaff might be blown away. The word translated "fan" in the first place above referred to has been thought to mean something of a similar kind, as a fork, which is still used in Palestine. It was possibly a measure or basket, in which to receive the grain. "Very little use," says Dr. Thomson, "is now made of the fan; but I have seen it employed to purge the floor of the refuse dust, which the owner throws away as useless."