Where does “minivan” come from?
minivan (Italian) comes from English minivan, 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 — army.
minivan (Italian): minivan
Ancestry of “minivan”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | minivan | A small van |
| 2 | English | Van | A Van cat; A Turkish Van cat |
| 3 | English | caravan | A convoy or procession of travelers, their... |
| 4 | Middle French | caravane | — |
| 5 | Old French | carvane | — |
| 6 | Persian | کاروان | caravan; convoy |
| 7 | Middle Persian | kʾlwʾn' | military column; caravan |
| 8 | Old Persian | 𐎣𐎠𐎼 | the people, subjects; army |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱer- | to grow, to make grow, to nourish; to plait,... |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | kr̥- | to turn, to bend |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | ker- | army |