van

views updated Jun 08 2018

van1 / van/ • n. a covered boxlike motor vehicle, typically having a rear door and sliding doors on the side panels, used for transporting goods or people. ∎  a covered truck used for moving goods, esp. furniture. ∎ Brit. a caravan.van2 • n. (the van) the foremost part of a company of people moving or preparing to move forward, esp. the foremost division of an advancing military force: in the van were the foremost chiefs and some of the warriors astride horses. ∎ fig. the forefront: he was in the van of the movement to encourage the cultivation of wildflowers.van3 • n. 1. archaic a winnowing fan. 2. archaic or poetic/lit. a bird's wing.

van

views updated May 21 2018

van1 winnowing basket or shovel XV; shovel used in testing ore, etc. XVII; (poet.) wing; sail of a windmill XIX. south, and western var. of FAN1, prob. reinforced by (O)F. van or L. vannus.

VAN

views updated May 29 2018

VAN Abbrev. for value-added network. See VADS, managed data network service.

Van

views updated May 23 2018

Van

a company of troops moving forward; the forward section of such a company or train of persons, 1633.

Examples : van of armies, 1879; of circumstances, 1820; of insurgents, 1816; of the Celtic migrations, 1850; of the procession, 1878; of testimonies, 1772; of the war, 1716.

van

views updated Jun 08 2018

van3 covered vehicle for conveying goods. XIX. Shortening of CARAVAN.

van

views updated May 29 2018

van2 short for VANGUARD. XVII.

van

views updated May 18 2018

van (væn) Tennis advantage

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