ETYM AS. wann, wonn, wan, won, dark, lurid, livid, perhaps originally, worn out by toil, from winnan to labor, strive. Related to Win.
1. Lacking vitality as from weariness or illness or unhappiness.
2. Pale.

Abbreviation for wide area network.

To become pale and sickly.

Wide Area Network
A WAN collectively refers to many LAN's hooked together using bridges and routers to form a larger network.
Using the city example again, a WAN would consist of many cities (LAN's) connected together by highways and interstates. The Internet itself is also classified as a WAN.