From 8 Mile To England: Eminem's 'Stan' Makes It Into The Oxford English Dictionary
DETROIT (WWJ) - Widely regarded as the authority on the English language, if they do say so themselves, the Oxford English Dictionary inches toward street cred with the addition of the word 'stan.'
"Stan," for any fan of rap music, or rapper Eminem, is the moniker of any obsessive fan-- with the dictionary's example of use in a sentence:
'He has millions of stans who are obsessed with him and call him a rap god.'
The OED gives credit to Eminem saying the origin of the word, early 21st century: "probably with allusion to the 2000 song "Stan" by the American rapper Eminem, about an obsessed fan."
"Stan" is a song from Eminem's "The Marshall Mathers LP" -- Stan personifies a fan who is obsessed with celebrity -- in particular -- Eminem. In the song, the stan kills his girlfriend over his growing frustration toward the rapper for not responding to his letters.
The word 'stan' was trending on the OED website Thursday.