Advertisement

van (n.1)

"front part of an army or other advancing group," c. 1600, shortening of vanguard.

van (n.2)

"covered truck or wagon," 1829, shortening of caravan. Century Dictionary suggests this was perhaps regarded as *carry-van.

Others are reading

Advertisement
Definitions of van from WordNet

van (n.)
any creative group active in the innovation and application of new concepts and techniques in a given field (especially in the arts);
van (n.)
the leading units moving at the head of an army;
Synonyms: vanguard
van (n.)
(Great Britain) a closed railroad car that carries baggage or freight;
van (n.)
a camper equipped with living quarters;
Synonyms: caravan
van (n.)
a truck with an enclosed cargo space;
From wordnet.princeton.edu