Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “mailvan” come from?

mailvan (English) comes from English Van, from English caravan, from Middle French caravane, from Old French carvane, from Persian کاروان, from Middle Persian kʾlwʾn', from Old Persian 𐎣𐎠𐎼, from Proto-Indo-European ḱer- — army.

mailvan (English): A van used to transport letters and parcels

Definitions

  1. A van used to transport letters and parcels

Ancestry of “mailvan”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishVanA Van cat; A Turkish Van cat
2EnglishcaravanA convoy or procession of travelers, their...
3Middle Frenchcaravane—
4Old Frenchcarvane—
5Persianکاروانcaravan; convoy
6Middle Persiankʾlwʾn'military column; caravan
7Old Persian𐎣𐎠𐎼the people, subjects; army
8Proto-Indo-Europeanḱer-to grow, to make grow, to nourish; to plait,...
9Proto-Indo-Europeankr̥-to turn, to bend
10Proto-Indo-Europeanker-army
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ker- →