Fanbase

How to spell fanbase

7 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce fanbase

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does fanbase mean?

1. nounThe body of loyal supporters or enthusiasts who follow a person, group, team, or brand.

Fanbase in a sentence

• The band built a devoted fanbase long before the record deal.

• The studio surveyed its fanbase before greenlighting the sequel.

Where does fanbase come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This is a modern compound built from two existing English words. The first part, 'fan', is a late nineteenth-century American shortening of 'fanatic', which itself came from the Latin 'fanaticus', meaning 'inspired by a god' and originally describing a temple devotee; over time it lost its religious heat and came to mean an enthusiastic follower of a sport, performer, or team. The second part, 'base', traces back through Old French to the Latin 'basis' and the Greek 'basis', meaning 'a step' or 'foundation', the thing on which something stands. Joined together in the late twentieth century, 'fanbase' names the collective foundation of supporters that sustains a band, brand, team, or franchise. The spelling trap is purely whether to write it as one solid word, as 'fanbase', or as two words or hyphenated; the closed form has become the common style in entertainment and marketing writing.

How the word is built

• fan (devotee, short for fanatic)
• base (foundation, supporting group)