minivan

See also: Minivan and mini-van

English

The Chrysler Pacifica, the best-selling minivan in the United States as of 2020

Etymology

From mini- +‎ van. First widely used in the 1980s, when this class of vehicles became widely popular as an alternative to station wagons (estate cars). Attested earlier in technical usage, usually as mini-van.

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -æn

Noun

minivan (plural minivans)

2. A small van, especially (Canada, US, Australia, New Zealand, Philippines) one primarily used for family transport.

   Alternative form: mini-van (dated)

   Hypernyms: automobile < motor vehicle < vehicle

   Hyponyms: people carrier, MPV (UK, passenger-focused); matatu, mathree (East African minivans used as gypsy cabs)

   Coordinate terms: van, car (each construed as either hypernymous or coordinate); CUV, XUV; SUV, sport utility vehicle; station wagon, estate car, estate; truck, lorry

Descendants

• → Japanese: ミニバン (miniban)
• → Korean: 미니밴 (minibaen)
• → Russian: минивэ́н (minivɛ́n)
• → Thai: มินิแวน (mí-ní-wɛɛn)

Translations

small van — see also matatu

• Belarusian: мінівэ́н m (minivén), міні-фурго́н m (mini-furhón)
• Bulgarian: минива́н m (miniván)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 多功能休旅車 / 多功能休旅车 (duōgōngnéng xiūlǚchē), (slang) 微面 (wēimiàn)

• Finnish: tila-auto (fi)
• French: fourgonnette (fr), mini-fourgonnette, mini-fourgon, monospace (fr)
• Galician: furgoneta (gl) f
• Georgian: მინი-ფურგონი (mini-purgoni)
• German: Minivan m
• Italian: monovolume (it) f
• Japanese: ミニバン (ja) (miniban)
• Korean: 미니밴 (minibaen), 다목적 자동차(多目的自動車) (damokjeok jadongcha)
• Lao: ລົດຕູ້ (lot tū)
• Persian:

  Iranian Persian: مینی‌وَن (mini-van)

• Polish: minivan (pl) m
• Portuguese: minivan f
• Russian: минивэ́н (ru) m (minivɛ́n), фурго́н (ru) m (furgón), мини-фурго́н (ru) m (mini-furgón)
• Spanish: combi (es) m or f, monovolumen (es) m
• Thai: มินิแวน (mí-ní-wɛɛn)
• Ukrainian: мініве́н m (minivén), міні-фурго́н m (mini-furhón)
• Vietnamese: minivan

Verb

minivan (third-person singular simple present minivans, present participle minivanning, simple past and past participle minivanned)

1. (ambitransitive) To travel or transport in a small van.

Italian

Etymology

Borrowed from English minivan.

Noun

minivan m (invariable)

1. minivan

Polish

minivan

Alternative forms

• miniwan

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English minivan.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /mi.ɲiˈvan/
• Rhymes: -an
• Syllabification: mi‧ni‧van

Noun

minivan m inan

1. minivan (small van)

   Hypernym: van

2. minivan, people carrier, MPV (large and spacious passenger car, typically with five or seven seats and sliding rear doors)

Declension

Declension of minivan

	singular	plural
nominative	minivan	minivany
genitive	minivana	minivanów
dative	minivanowi	minivanom
accusative	minivan	minivany
instrumental	minivanem	minivanami
locative	minivanie	minivanach
vocative	minivanie	minivany

Further reading

• minivan in Polish dictionaries at PWN
• minivan in PWN's encyclopedia

Spanish

Noun

minivan m or f (plural minivans)

1. minivan