VAN

van

(noun) a truck with an enclosed cargo space

van, caravan

(noun) a camper equipped with living quarters

van

(noun) (Great Britain) a closed railroad car that carries baggage or freight

vanguard, van

(noun) the leading units moving at the head of an army

vanguard, avant-garde, van, new wave

(noun) any creative group active in the innovation and application of new concepts and techniques in a given field (especially in the arts)

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology 1

Noun

van (plural vans)

A covered vehicle used for carrying goods or people, usually roughly cuboid in shape, longer and higher than a car but smaller than a truck/lorry.

(British) An enclosed railway vehicle for transport of goods.

(UK, dated) A light wagon, either covered or open, used by tradesmen and others for the transportation of goods.

(aerospace) A large towable vehicle equipped for the repair of structures that cannot easily be moved.

Verb

van (third-person singular simple present vans, present participle vanning, simple past and past participle vanned)

(transitive) To transport in a van or similar vehicle (especially of horses).

(internet slang, used in passive voice) Of law enforcement: to arrest (not necessarily in a van; derived from party van).

Etymology 2

Noun

van (plural vans)

Clipping of vanguard.

Etymology 3

Noun

van (plural vans)

(mining) A shovel used in cleansing ore.

Verb

van (third-person singular simple present vans, present participle vanning, simple past and past participle vanned)

(mining) To wash or cleanse, as a small portion of ore, on a shovel.

Etymology 4

Noun

van (plural vans)

A fan or other contrivance, such as a sieve, for winnowing grain.

A wing with which the air is beaten.

Anagrams

• AVN, NAV, nav

Etymology 1

Shortening.

Proper noun

Van

A diminutive of the male given names Vance, Ivan.

Etymology 2

Shortening.

Proper noun

Van

A diminutive of the female given name Vanessa.

Etymology 3

Proper noun

Van

A large saline tectonic lake of the Armenian Highland in eastern Turkey lakes, famous for its Chalcalburnus tarichi (syn. Alburnus tarichi) fish and the 10th century Armenian cathedral on Akhtamar Island.

A city on the shore of that lake.

Etymology 4

Proper noun

Van

Abbreviation of Vancouver.

Etymology 5

Noun

Van (plural Vans)

A Van cat.

A Turkish Van cat.

Anagrams

• AVN, NAV, nav

Noun

VAN (plural VANs)

Abbreviation of value-added network.

Proper noun

VAN

Abbreviation of Vancouver.

Synonyms

• (Vancouver): YVR

Anagrams

• AVN, NAV, nav

Source: Wiktionary


Van, n. Etym: [Abbrev. fr. vanguard.]

Definition: The front of an army; the first line or leading column; also, the front line or foremost division of a fleet, either in sailing or in battle. Standards and gonfalons, twixt van and rear, Stream in the air. Milton.

Van, n. Etym: [Cornish.] (Mining)

Definition: A shovel used in cleansing ore.

Van, v. t. (Mining)

Definition: To wash or cleanse, as a small portion of ore, on a shovel. Raymond.

Van, n. Etym: [Abbreviated from caravan.]

1. A light wagon, either covered or open, used by tradesmen and others fore the transportation of goods. [Eng.]

2. A large covered wagon for moving furniture, etc., also for conveying wild beasts, etc., for exhibition.

3. A close railway car for baggage. See the Note under Car, 2. [Eng.]

Van, n. Etym: [L. vannus a van, or fan for winnowing grain: cf. F. van. Cf. Fan, Van a wing Winnow.]

1. A fan or other contrivance, as a sieve, for winnowing grain.

2. Etym: [OF. vanne, F. vanneau beam feather (cf. It. vanno a wing) fr. L. vannus. See Etymology above.]

Definition: A wing with which the air is beaten. [Archaic] "[/Angels] on the air plumy vans received him. " Milton. He wheeled in air, and stretched his vans in vain; His vans no longer could his flight sustain. Dryden.

Van, v. t. Etym: [Cf. F. vanner to winnow, to fan. See Van a winnowing machine.]

Definition: To fan, or to cleanse by fanning; to winnow. [Obs.] Bacon.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Coffee Trivia

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