▪ I. van, n.1
(væn)
Also 5–7 vanne (7 wanne), 7–8 vann.
[Southern var. of fan n.1, perh. partly a. OF. van or ad. L. vannus. Cf. WFlem. van, Du. wan, G. wanne, Sw. vanna.]
1. A winnowing basket or shovel; = fan n.1 1 a.
Also, in mod. dial., = fanner 2.
| c 1450 [see fan n.1 1 a, β]. c 1481 Caxton Dialogues 38 Ghyselin the mande maker Hath sold his vannes,..His temmesis to clense with. 1566 W. Adlington Apuleius 121 Then al the people..toke a great number of Vannes replenished with odors and pleasaunt smelles. 1598 R. Barckley Felic. Man iii. (1603) 246 At last he was put in a vanne,..and tossed up and downe that he might not sleepe. 1601–1791 [see fan n.1 1 a, β]. 1801 Ranken Hist. France I. 430 The van was a broad shovel, with which they threw the grain with force to a distance, while the light chaff fell behind. 1807 J. Robinson Archæol. Græca v. xiv. 477 To put them in vans or implements for winnowing corn. 1863 J. G. Murphy Comm., Lev. vii. 30 It is used of the van in winnowing. 1880– in south-western dial. glossaries. |
b. A shovel used for lifting charcoal or testing ore.
| 1664 Evelyn Sylva 102 Your Coals sufficiently cool'd, with a very long-toothed Rake, and a Vann, you may load them into the Coal-wains. 1753 Chambers' Cycl. Suppl. s.v. Vauning, This instrument called the Vann [printed Vaun], is a long and moderately deep wooden shovel. 1875 Knight Dict. Mech. 2689/2 Van, a shovel used in sifting ore. |
c. [Cf. van v.] A process of testing ore on a shovel; the amount of metal obtained by this test.
| 1778 Pryce Min. Cornub. 216 If the Van will cover or equal the weight of a crown piece, it is good Tin-stuff, and is termed a Crown Van. 1880 W. Cornw. Gloss., Van, a rude process of trying tin ores by crushing and washing on a shovel. c 1888 Trans. Amer. Inst. Min. Eng. XII. 64 (Cent.), As he watched the process of making a van on a shovel, and saw the copper roll up to the highest point. |
† 2. = fan n.1 1 d. Obs.—1
| 1458 Maldon (Essex) Liber B. fol. ii b, John Dale hath in his kepynge a justyng sadel, ii vannys, and a sper. |
3. A wing; = fan n.1 4. Chiefly poet.
| 1667 [see fan n.1 4 β]. 1671 Milton P.R. iv. 583 Strait a fiery Globe Of Angels on full sail of wing flew nigh, Who on their plumy Vans receiv'd him soft. 1700 Dryden Ovid's Met. xii. 749 He wheel'd in Air, and stretch'd his Vans in vain; His Vans no longer cou'd his Flight sustain. 1791– [see fan n.1 4]. 1815 Kirby & Sp. Entomol. vii. (1816) I. 215 Its ample vans are calculated to catch the wind as sails, and so to carry it sometimes over the sea. 1851 D. Jerrold St. Giles xxxiii. 342 A carrion crow flapped its vans above the heads of man and wife. 1879 E. Arnold Lt. Asia vi. (1881) 156 Bright butterflies Fluttered their vans, azure and green and gold. |
| fig. 1898 G. Meredith Poet. Wks. (1912) 549 Beneath the vans of doom did men pass in. |
† 4. ? The vane of a ship. Obs.—1
| 1698 Fryer Acc. E. India & P. 13 The Vans of the next Ships (though groveling with a neighbouring Wave) could not be discerned. |
5. A sail of a windmill; = fan n.1 6 c. (Cf. vane 3 a.)
| 1837 Landor Pentameron Wks. 1846 II. 352 A sigh sets her windmill at work van over van, incessantly. 1856 Mrs. Browning Aur. Leigh iv. 520 As a windmill seen at distance radiating Its delicate white vans against the sky. 1860 O. W. Holmes Prof. Breakf.-t. xi, With his arms flying..like the vans of a windmill. |
▪ II. van, n.2
(væn)
Also 7 vann.
[Shortening of vanguard.]
1. The foremost division or detachment of a military or naval force when advancing or set in order for doing so.
| 1633 T. Stafford Pac. Hib. (1821) 420 The Van went off with few slaine. 1665 Manley Grotius' Low C. Wars 799 Spinola himself went in the Van, sending before him Scouts and Pioneers to search the ways and level them. 1667 Milton P.L. ii. 535 Armies rush To Battel in the Clouds, before each Van Pric forth the Aerie Knights. 1704 Lond. Gaz. No. 4054/1 They were very strong in the Center, and weaker in the Van and Rear. a 1781 R. Watson Philip III (1783) v. 382 The van was led by the mareschal Lesdiguieres, the main body by the duke of Savoy, and Shomberg..brought up the rear with the artillery. 1816 Scott Old Mort. xxv, As Lord Evandale spoke, the van of the insurgents began to make their appearance. 1844 H. H. Wilson Brit. India II. 355 The van of the Mahratta army..had advanced to within fifteen miles of Chanda. 1879 Froude Cæsar xix. 308 Roman civilians had followed in the van of the armies. |
b. Without article.
| 1663 Butler Hud. i. ii. 104 The Foe he had survey'd Rang'd, as to him they did appear, With Van, main Battel, Wings and Rear. 1667 Milton P.L. v. 589 Standards, and Gonfalons twixt Van and Reare Streame in the Aire. 1809 Wordsw. Hofer 10 They stagger at the shock From van to rear. 1865 Carlyle Fredk. Gt. xviii. iv. V. 86 Van, having faced to right..and so become Left Wing, will attack Kreczor. |
c. Const. of (war, etc.), or with possessive.
| 1716 Pope Iliad xiii. 350 But those my ship contains, whence distant far, I fight conspicuous in the Van of War. 1813 Byron Br. Abydos i. vii, Another! and a braver man Was never seen in battle's van. |
† d. in one's van, in front of one. Obs.
| 1724 De Foe Mem. Cavalier (1840) 250 The king's army [was] in his rear, and Sir Richard Grenvil in his van. |
2. The foremost portion of, or the foremost position in, a company or train of persons moving, or prepared to move, forwards or onwards.
| 1610 Beaum. & Fl. Scornf. Lady v. i, Come who leads? Sir Roger, you shall have the Van: lead the way. 1648 J. Beaumont Psyche xvi. lxxii, The gallant Pæans of His vocal Van To all the Orbs proclaim'd the Spectacle. 1674 Jackson's Recantations 19 in Hindley Book Collector's Misc. III, I..was commonly in the van, upon any desperate exploit, having the knowledge of my weapon [etc.]. 1824 W. Irving T. Trav. I. 48 My aunt led the van with a red-hot poker; and, in my opinion, she was the most formidable of the party. 1850 Merivale Rom. Emp. v. (1865) I. 220 The Gauls..formed the van of the great Celtic migration. 1874 Burnand My Time xxvi. 240 After the van of the procession had marched into the dining-room. |
b. fig., esp. in the phrases to lead († bear, † have) the van, and in the van.
| (a) a 1661 Fuller Worthies (1840) III. 115 Ratcliffe Church esteemeth it a greater grace to lead the van of all parochial, than to follow in the rear after many Cathedral Churches in England. 1683 tr. Erasm. Moriæ Encom. 9 Why may not I justly bear the Van among the whole troop of Gods? a 1708 Beveridge Thes. Theol. (1710) I. 234 The Apostle gives us a chain of all Christian graces: wherein..faith leads the van. 1772 Fletcher Logica Genev. 198 As Moses led the van of these testimonies..and St. Paul the main body, permit St. James to bring up the rear. 1838 Stephens Trav. Greece I. vii. 125, I could not follow them in their long and repeated kneelings and prostrations; but my young Greek..led the van. |
| (b) 1771 Junius Lett. lvii. (1788) 306 The natural resources of the crown are no longer confided in. Corruption glitters in the van. 1820 Keats Hyperion i. 343 Be thou therefore in the van Of circumstance. 1843 Carlyle Past & Pr. iii. viii, The chief of men is he who stands in the van of men. 1879 Lubbock Addr. Pol. & Educ. iv. 87 That nothing less will suffice here if we are to maintain our position in the van of industrial nations. |
3. The fore or front part of a thing. rare.
| 1727 Dyer Grongar Hill 3 Silent Nymph!.. Who..lie On the mountain's lonely van, Beyond the noise of busy man. 1762 Falconer Shipwr. ii. 508 While o'er the quivering deck, from van to rear, Broad surges roll in terrible career. |
4. attrib., as van-division, van-ship, van-squadron.
| 1652 French Occurr. Nov. 29–Dec. 6 216 Ruttier..commanded the Van-squadron, and charged very resolutely up to us. 1795 Nelson 13 Mar. in Nicolas Disp. (1845) II. 14 The Admiral made the signal for the Van-ships to join him. 1796 ― 19 June Ibid. (1846) VII. p. lxxxii, The Admiral has honoured me with the command of the Van-Division. 1806 A. Duncan Nelson 71 He received the..fire from the van ships. 1862 Meredith Poet. Wks. (1912) 122 The day was a van-bird of summer. |
▪ III. van, n.3
(væn)
[Shortened f. caravan n. 4.]
1. a. A covered vehicle chiefly employed for the conveyance of goods, usually resembling a large wooden box with arched roof and opening from behind, but varying in size (and to some extent in form) according to the use intended. Now usu., a motor vehicle with a covered rear compartment, often of shorter wheelbase than a lorry, used esp. for deliveries or service calls.
| 1829 Lytton The Disowned I. iv. 50 Yes, Sir, we have some luggage—came last night by the van. 1855 Leifchild Cornwall 3 The Cornish van is a conveyance both peculiar and interesting. This particular one..resembled very nearly an ordinary covered cart of some length. 1872 C. King Sierra Nevada x. 213 The great van rocked, settled a little—and stuck fast. 1898 [see motor n. 5]. |
b. felons' van, prison van (also ellipt.); police van: see police n. 6. Also, a light covered vehicle employed to carry passengers.
| 1858 [see prison n. 3 a]. 1863 Kinglake Crimea I. 338 The hour when the Parliament of France had been driven into the felons' van. 1895 Daily News 17 May 8/6 The Gaoler—There is no van between 10.30 in the morning and four in the afternoon. 1973, etc. [see van pool, etc., below]. 1979 N.Y. Rev. Bks. 25 Oct. 7 (Advt.), Every morning, 1,441 Gulf employees who used to drive their own cars to work now make the trip in vans. |
c. A gypsy caravan or one used by a showman; a holiday-maker's caravan; a camper.
| 1858 Dickens Going into Society in Househ. Words Extra Christmas No., 7 Dec. 22/1 The House was so dismal arterwards, that I giv it up, and took to the Wan again. 1876 C. M. Yonge Three Brides II. v. 107 He was born in one of they vans, and hadn't never been to school. 1926 Kipling Debits & Credits 237 You can stand at your door and mock when the gipsy-vans come through. 1952 Motor Manual (ed. 34) xiii. 244 The owner who wants to tow his caravan from home to some pleasant site where he can leave the van during the summer months. 1972 Guardian 5 Feb. 14 The trailer tent..[is] easier to tow than a full-scale trailer 'van. 1976 Kingston (Ontario) Whig-Standard 4 Aug. 25/4 In California travelling in his own van. 1979 Observer 15 July 2/5 Australians who fly in and buy a van to take them round Britain are finding they have to omit the extremities from their itinerary. 1980 R. Hill Killing Kindness vii. 62 Dave Lee had gone off in his van. |
2. A closed carriage or truck used on railways for conveying passengers' luggage and the guard of the train, or in goods trains for smaller articles needing protection from the weather.
Freq. with defining terms, as brake-van, guard's van, luggage van.
| 1854 Dickens Hard T. ii. i. 143 Very heavy train and vast quantity of it [sc. luggage] in the van. 1868 Boyd Less. Middle Age 339 Emerging from the carriage door, the pilgrim..hastens to the van at the end of the train. 1885 Law Times LXXIX. 47/1 The portmanteau and hamper had been put into the van. |
3. attrib. and Comb., as van boy, van dock, van-driver, van dweller, van guard, van harness, van load, van-man, van shunter; van pool U.S., a group of workers sharing a van provided by their employer to transport them to work; so van-pooler, van-pooling.
| 1881 Instr. Census Clerks (1885) 34 *Van..Boy, Guard. 1883 Pall Mall G. 23 Oct. 7/2 A van boy, seventeen years of age. |
| 1878 F. S. Williams Midl. Railw. 639 On the left of this platform is the ‘*van dock’ in which the vans are standing. |
| 1895 Daily News 26 Sept. 6/3 A Midland Railway *van driver. |
| 1894 Ibid. 25 Jan. 2/4 The fourth annual meeting of the United Kingdom Showmen's and *Van Dwellers' Protection Association. |
| 1921 Dict. Occup. Terms (1927) §723 *Van guard..travels with and guards contents of mail vans. 1931 Daily Express 22 Sept. 7/3 A vanguard..was accused of being concerned with another man..in stealing a motor-car. |
| 1862 Catal. Internat. Exhib., Brit. II. No. 4727, *Van harness and cart harness. |
| 1885 L'pool Daily Post 23 Apr. 5/2 Countless *vanloads of happy urchins, bent on enjoying their Sunday school treat. |
| 1881 Instr. Census Clerks (1885) 34 Trap Minder. *Van Man. 1891 Daily News 21 Sept. 2/7 Vanman of the Glasgow City Parochial Authorities. |
| 1973 Sunday Bull. (Philadelphia) 7 Oct. (Parade Suppl.) 14/2 (heading) *Van pooling. Ibid., The 3M Company in St. Paul, Minn., bought six 12-passenger vans and assigned them to workers to form ‘van pools’... Van pool driver-coordinators receive free rides and can use the van during off-duty hours. 1974 Woman's Day (N.Y.) Oct. 138/2 Van pools are working so well at Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing's huge complex..that the company now has fifty-seven company-owned vans. 1976 National Observer (U.S.) 16 Oct., Van pooling is a new commuting style looking for a permanent place in transportation between private cars and mass-transit facilities. 1983 Mass Transit (U.S.) Apr. 24/1 The average vanpooler saves about 400 miles of driving and 25 gallons of gas a month. |
| 1878 F. S. Williams Midl. Railw. 639 The vans, as they enter the shed, are at once placed under the orders..of ‘*van shunters’. |
▪ IV. van, n.4
(væn)
[a. Welsh fan (van), mutated form of ban height, occurring in place-names in South Wales, esp. in Brecknock.]
A height or summit.
| 1871 Kingsley At Last ii, Flat ‘vans’ or hog-backed hills, and broad sweeps of moorland,..are as rare as are steep walls of cliff. 1905 A. R. Wallace My Life I. 249 The range of the great forest of Brecon, with its series of isolated summits or vans. |
▪ V. van, n.5 Lawn Tennis.
(væn)
Abbrev. of vantage n. 6.
| 1927 in W. E. Collinson Contemporary Eng. 36. 1960 N. Hilliard Maori Girl 47 They counted in lawn-tennis style with vans and loves. 1977 Fremdsprachen XXI. 125 Van in, van out: my van, your van. |
▪ VI. van, v.1
(væn)
Also 4 uanni, 5 vane, 5–7 vanne.
[Southern var. fan v.]
1. trans. To winnow with a fan. ? Obs.
| 1340 [see fan v. 1]. c 1467 Noble Bk. Cookry (1882) 86 Tak clene whet and bet it in a mortoire and vane it clene. 1545 Elyot, Euanno, to van corne or other lyke thyng. 1552 Huloet, Vanne or fanne corne, euanno. 1611 Cotgr., Berner, to vanne, or winnow corne. 1631 J. Anchoran Comenius' Gate Tongues 87 Hee vanneth, winnoweth and waggeth oates with a wanne. 1648 Hexham ii, Wt-wannen, to Winnowe, or to Vanne out. 1706 Phillips (ed. Kersey) Vanned, fanned or winnowed. |
| fig. 14.. Langland's P. Pl. C. xxiii. 168 Elde..wayueth [v.r. vanned] away wanhope. a 1693 Urquhart's Rabelais iii. xl. 332 The Suit or Process, being well vanned and winnowed. |
† 2. a. = fan v. 3. Obs.
| 1565 Cooper Thesaurus s.v. Ventulus, Vanne winde saftely on hir in this maner. |
† b. To fan; to blow upon. Obs.
| 1628 Feltham Resolves ii. viii. 18 Nor does the wound but rankle more, which is vanned by the publike ayre. |
3. To separate and test (ore) by washing on a van or shovel. (Earlier in vanning vbl. n.1 2.)
| 1839 H. T. De la Beche Rep. Geol. Cornwall, etc. xv. 585 We have seen a miner dexterously van pulverised iron pyrites. 1899 Baring-Gould Bk. of West II. v. 61 In dressing the ore the miners broke it with their hammers, and then ‘vanned’ it on their broad oak shovels. |
▪ VII. van, v.2 rare—1.
(væn)
[f. van n.2]
trans. To go in the van of, to lead.
| 1852 A. Smith Life Drama ii, Do not the royal souls that van the world Hunger for praises? |
▪ VIII. van, v.3
(væn)
[f. van n.3]
1. trans. To send in a van.
| 1840 New Monthly Mag. LX. 167 Vanning his horses to the different meetings. 1862 H. H. Dixon Scott & Sebright iii. 203 When..he [a racehorse] could hardly move in his box, he was vanned down to Hermit Lodge. |
2. To confine in a van.
| 1897 P. Warung Tales Old Regime 34 A convict—one of the two servants who were not ‘van'd’ overnight. |
▪ IX. van
obs. Sc. pa. tense of win v.