Etymology

minivan

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Today it means: A small van, especially (Canada, US, Australia, New Zealand, Philippines) one primarily used for family transport. Full definition →

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The story

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.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.