[1] : The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

pan \pan\, v. t. imp.  p. p. panned; p. pr.  vb. n.
   panning.
   1. mining to separate, as gold, from dirt or sand, by
      washing in a kind of pan. u. s.
      1913 webster

            we . . . witnessed the process of cleaning up and
            panning out, which is the last process of separating
            the pure gold from the fine dirt and black sand.
                                                  --gen. w. t.
                                                  sherman.
      1913 webster

   2. to criticise a drama or literary work harshly.
      pjc
see also:
panned panning 

[2] : The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

panning \pan"ning\, n.
   the act or process in which heavier ores are concentrated by
   agitating a sample of crushed ore under water in a shallow
   pan, thus washing away the lighter particles from the sample;
   as, panning for gold. see pan1, v. t. and pan1, v. i.
   pjc

[3] : WordNet (r) 2.0

pan
     n 1: cooking utensil consisting of a wide metal vessel syn: cooking
          pan
     2: greek mythology god of fields and woods and shepherds and
        flocks; represented as a man with goat's legs and horns
        and ears; identified with roman sylvanus or faunus syn: the
        goat god
     3: shallow container made of metal
     4: chimpanzees; more closely related to australopithecus than
        to other pongids syn: genus pan
     v 1: make a sweeping movement; "the camera panned across the
          room"
     2: wash dirt in a pan to separate out the precious minerals
        syn: pan out, pan off
     3: express a totally negative opinion of; "the critics panned
        the performance" syn: tear apart, trash
     also: panning, panned
see also:
cooking pan the goat god genus pan pan out pan off tear apart 
trash panning panned 

[4] : WordNet (r) 2.0

panning
     see pan
see also:
pan 

[5] : Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0

45 moby thesaurus words for "panning":
   banter, bantering, booing, catcalling, chaffing, derision,
   derisive, derisory, fleering, flippancy, flippant, fooling,
   grinning, hissing, hooting, jeering, joshing, kidding, leering,
   levity, mockery, mocking, quizzical, ragging, railing, raillery,
   rallying, razzing, ridicule, ridiculing, roasting, scoffing, smart,
   smart-aleckiness, smart-alecky, smart-ass, smartness, smirking,
   sneering, snickering, sniggering, snorting, taunting, teasing,
   twitting

Panning >> P Words
Panning, definition of term: Panning
panning_pag1.html