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Thanks To Eminem The Word 'Stan' Has Been Added To The Dictionary

Thanks To Eminem The Word 'Stan' Has Been Added To The Dictionary

It means 'obsessive fan', obviously.

Claire Reid

Claire Reid

Every year, Oxford Dictionaries adds some new words to the ever-evolving English language.

In the past, words and phrases such as lolcat ("a photograph of a cat accompanied by a humorous caption written typically in a misspelled and grammatically incorrect version of English"), brewer's droop ("inability in a man to achieve or maintain an erection as a consequence of drinking an excess of alcohol") and my personal least favourite, jeggings ("tight-fitting stretch trousers for women, styled to resemble a pair of denim jeans"), have featured in the updates.

One of the newest and shiniest words to enter the hallowed pages of the OUP Dictionary is 'stan'.

Quick, go and tell your dad he's in the dictionary!

However, what your dad might be less pleased with is the definition, because stan has made its way into the dictionary thanks to Eminem and his infamous, fictional super-fan.

Credit: Vevo/Eminem/Universal Music

Or as Oxford Dictionaries puts it: "Stan - noun: An overzealous or obsessive fan of a particular celebrity."

Here's an example sentence it uses: 'He has millions of stans who are obsessed with him and call him a rap god.' So there we go.

And if that's not enough for you, there are other example sentences, such as 'I swear I've been a stan of hers since I was five.'

Credit: PA

The versatile little word can also be a verb, as we see in this sentence: 'I admit I used to stan for Mariah when I was eight.'

As for its origins... well, according to the site: "Early 21st century: probably with allusion to the 2000 song 'Stan' by the American rapper Eminem, about an obsessed fan."


via GIPHY

In the song, which featured on The Marshall Mathers LP, Eminem rapped as 'Stan' and a fictionalised version of himself.

As the narrative unfolds, the super-fan character eventually kills himself and his pregnant girlfriend by driving off a bridge, because the rap star didn't reply to his letters quickly enough. Heavy shit, but it was a massive hit.

Fair play to Eminem - awards and platinum-selling albums are one thing, but there can't be many rappers who have redefined a name and got it added to the bloody dictionary.

Featured Image Credit: Vevo/Eminem/Universal Music

Topics: eminem

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