pan-

a combining form meaning “all,” occurring originally in loanwords from Greek (panacea; panoply), but now used freely as a general formative (panleukopenia; panorama; pantelegraph; pantheism; pantonality), and especially in terms, formed at will, implying the union of all branches of a group (Pan-Christian; Panhellenic; Pan-Slavism). The hyphen and the second capital tend with longer use to be lost, unless they are retained in order to set off clearly the component parts.

Also, pant-, panto-.

Origin

< Greek pan- combining form of pâs (neuter pân) all, every, pân everything

British Dictionary definitions for pan-

pan-

combining form

all or every: panchromatic

including or relating to all parts or members: Pan-African, pantheistic

Word Origin

from Greek pan, neuter of pas all

Word Origin and History for pan-

word-forming element meaning "all, every, whole, all-inclusive," from Greek pan-, combining form of pas (neuter pan, masculine and neuter genitive pantos) "all," from PIE *pant- "all" (with derivatives found only in Greek and Tocharian).

Commonly used as a prefix in Greek, in modern times often with nationality names, the first example of which seems to have been Panslavism (1846). Also panislamic (1881), pan-American (1889), pan-German (1892), pan-African (1900), pan-European (1901), pan-Arabism (1930).

pan- in Medicine

pan- pref.

All: panagglutinins.
General; whole: panimmunity.