Van
/væn/noun
A covered vehicle or a boxy motor vehicle used for transporting goods or people.
Did you know?The modern vehicle sense of van is a shortening of caravan, which ultimately comes from Persian kārvān, a word for a traveling company or convoy.
Etymological Timeline
Persian
Persian
kārvān
“a company of travelers, a convoy”
Medieval Latin
Latin
caravana
“a caravan or convoy”
16th Century
English
caravan
“a large covered wagon or traveling convoy”
19th Century
English
van
“shortened form of caravan; a covered wagon used for transporting goods”
Modern English
English
van
“a boxy motor vehicle for goods or passengers”
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