van
oxford
views updated Jun 08 2018van1 / 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.
The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English
van
oxford
views updated May 21 2018van1 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.
The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology T. F. HOAD
VAN
oxford
views updated May 29 2018VAN Abbrev. for value-added network. See
VADS,
managed data network service.
A Dictionary of Computing JOHN DAINTITH
Van
gale
views updated May 23 2018Van
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.
Dictionary of Collective Nouns and Group Terms
van
oxford
views updated Jun 08 2018van3 covered vehicle for conveying goods. XIX. Shortening of
CARAVAN.
The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology T. F. HOAD
van
oxford
views updated May 29 2018van2 short for
VANGUARD. XVII.
The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology T. F. HOAD
van
oxford
views updated May 18 2018van (væn) Tennis advantage
The Oxford Dictionary of Abbreviations FRAN ALEXANDER , PETER BLAIR , JOHN DAINTITH , ALICE GRANDISON , VALERIE ILLINGWORTH , ELIZABETH MARTIN , ANNE STIBBS , JUDY PEARSALL , and SARA TULLOCH
