Webster
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Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary · 1913

Van

Van (văn), n. [Abbrev. fr. vanguard.] The front of an army; the first line or leading column; also, the front line or foremost division of a fleet, either in sailing or in battle.

Standards and gonfalons, twixt van and rear, Stream in the air. Milton.

Van, n. [Cornish.] (Mining) A shovel used in cleansing ore.

Van, v. t. (Mining) To wash or cleanse, as a small portion of ore, on a shovel. Raymond.

Van, n. [Abbreviated from caravan.]

1. A light wagon, either covered or open, used by tradesmen and others fore the transportation of goods. [Eng.]

2. A large covered wagon for moving furniture, etc., also for conveying wild beasts, etc., for exhibition.

3. A close railway car for baggage. See the Note under Car, 2. [Eng.]

Van, n. [L. vannus a van, or fan for winnowing grain: cf. F. van. Cf. Fan, Van a wing Winnow.]

1. A fan or other contrivance, as a sieve, for winnowing grain.

2. [OF. vanne, F. vanneau beam feather (cf. It. vanno a wing) fr. L. vannus. See Etymology above.] A wing with which the air is beaten. [Archaic] "[/Angels] on the air plumy vans received him. " Milton.

He wheeled in air, and stretched his vans in vain; His vans no longer could his flight sustain. Dryden.

Van, v. t. [Cf. F. vanner to winnow, to fan. See Van a winnowing machine.] To fan, or to cleanse by fanning; to winnow. [Obs.] Bacon.

Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Noah Porter, editor (Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913). Public domain. Text as transcribed by MICRA, Inc., from Project Gutenberg. Changed for Deep Dive Bible: Greek, which our source spelled in Latin letters, set in Greek letters; entries of one spelling merged into one article; Greek words our source left out (shown as “?”), read from the 1898 printing, from the same plates (the Library of Congress’s copy), where the place could be found with certainty. Of the others, 1,362 (a word or a single letter each) were inferred by AI from the context by the dictionary’s own rules and are marked with a wavy underline (tap or point at one to see the note); the rest, which could not be inferred with confidence, are left as “?”.