Caravan — Lexography

Journey of meaning

5 forms

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The caravan journey, in text

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کاروان · Persian
noun · Persian
Transliteration: kārwān
Company or group of desert travelers.. Company or group of desert travelers.
Date not yet researched — No word-specific date established in the inspected sources.
Persian reference region — Glottolog language reference point; not an origin, borrowing site or territorial boundary.
Persian کاروان (kārwān) denotes a group of travelers and is the reported source of the European caravan word. English > Etymology
Online Etymology Dictionary reports Arabic qairawan as a possible route between Persian karwan and French/Latin caravan forms. caravan(n.)
French caravane and Old French carvane/carevane are the French forms reported before English caravan. English > Etymology
Glottolog supplies the reference coordinates for Old Persian. LanguageTable row oldp1255
قَيْرَوَان · Arabic
noun · Arabic
Transliteration: qairawān
Traveling company or caravan; a reported mediation form.. Traveling company or caravan; a reported mediation form.
Date not yet researched — No word-specific date established in the inspected sources.
Arabic reference region — Glottolog language reference point; not an origin, borrowing site or territorial boundary.
Persian کاروان (kārwān) denotes a group of travelers and is the reported source of the European caravan word. English > Etymology
Online Etymology Dictionary reports Arabic qairawan as a possible route between Persian karwan and French/Latin caravan forms. caravan(n.)
French caravane and Old French carvane/carevane are the French forms reported before English caravan. English > Etymology
Glottolog supplies the reference coordinates for Arabic. LanguageTable row arab1395
caravane · Old/Middle French
noun · Old/Middle French
Reading: Reading not yet researched
Caravan or company of travelers.. Caravan or company of travelers.
Date not yet researched — No word-specific date established in the inspected sources.
Location not yet researched — No separate historical location is assigned to this medieval French lexical stage.
Persian کاروان (kārwān) denotes a group of travelers and is the reported source of the European caravan word. English > Etymology
Online Etymology Dictionary reports Arabic qairawan as a possible route between Persian karwan and French/Latin caravan forms. caravan(n.)
French caravane and Old French carvane/carevane are the French forms reported before English caravan. English > Etymology
English caravan is attested in the 1590s for a company of travelers moving together for security. caravan(n.)
The English entry supplies modern caravan readings. English > Pronunciation
caravan · English
noun · English
Reading: KARR-uh-van
A company of travelers, pilgrims or merchants traveling together.. A company of travelers, pilgrims or merchants traveling together.
c. 1590s · English traveling-company sense — Reported English context.
English reference region / Britain — Glottolog language reference point; not an origin, borrowing site or territorial boundary.
French caravane and Old French carvane/carevane are the French forms reported before English caravan. English > Etymology
English caravan is attested in the 1590s for a company of travelers moving together for security. caravan(n.)
The English entry supplies modern caravan readings. English > Pronunciation
Glottolog supplies the reference coordinates for English. LanguageTable row stan1293
caravan · English
noun · English
Reading: Reading not yet researched
A large covered carriage, trailer or mobile home.. A large covered carriage, trailer or mobile home.
c. 1670s–1930s · English vehicle senses — Reported carriage and later mobile-home contexts.
English reference region / Britain — Glottolog language reference point; not an origin, borrowing site or territorial boundary.
English caravan is attested in the 1590s for a company of travelers moving together for security. caravan(n.)
The English entry supplies modern caravan readings. English > Pronunciation
English caravan extended to a covered carriage in the 1670s and to a British mobile-home sense in the 1930s. caravan(n.)
Glottolog supplies the reference coordinates for English. LanguageTable row stan1293

Relationships

kārwān → caravane: borrowing, documented. The Persian travel-group word reaches French in the reported route. English > Etymology English > Etymology

kārwān → qairawān: borrowing, alternative. Arabic qairawan is preserved as a possible medieval intermediary. English > Etymology caravan(n.)

qairawān → caravane: borrowing, alternative. The Arabic-mediated route remains qualified rather than compulsory. caravan(n.)English > Etymology

caravane → caravan: borrowing, documented. English caravan continues the French travel-group word. English > Etymology caravan(n.)English > Pronunciation

caravan → caravan: semantic-change, documented. The travel-group word extends to a covered carriage and later a mobile home. caravan(n.)English > Pronunciation

Inspect the evidence 10 claims

Open a claim to follow the source and our interpretation.

01Glottolog supplies the reference coordinates for Old Persian.
Source
Glottolog 5.3 — language reference coordinatesHammarström, Forkel, Haspelmath & Bank; Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary AnthropologyLanguageTable row oldp1255
Source passage
Reference record
oldp1255 · Old Persian · Latitude · Longitude
LanguageTable row oldp1255; Name, Latitude, Longitude
Qualification Reference only
Language reference coordinates, not a word origin, borrowing site, historical territory or population distribution.
What Lexography infers
Use this point only to orient Persian reference region; no historical movement is inferred.
Checked 2026-09-11 · revision 072ca0d0410039fb8b779be8fc165bac575d2cda. CC BY 4.0; selected coordinates, rounded for regional orientation
02Persian کاروان (kārwān) denotes a group of travelers and is the reported source of the European caravan word.
Source
Wiktionary — caravanWiktionary contributorsEnglish > Etymology
Source passage
Source summary · not a quotation
Persian کاروان (kārwān) denotes a group of travelers and is the reported source of the European caravan word.
English > Etymology
Qualification Qualified
A proposed connection with Sanskrit karabha “camel” is reported elsewhere but not asserted as a direct ancestry stage.
What Lexography infers
Keep the Persian form and leave the deeper comparison qualified.
Checked 2026-09-14. Wiktionary CC BY-SA 4.0 / GFDL; current page inspected, attributed summaries only; no full article redistributed.
03Glottolog supplies the reference coordinates for Arabic.
Source
Glottolog 5.3 — language reference coordinatesHammarström, Forkel, Haspelmath & Bank; Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary AnthropologyLanguageTable row arab1395
Source passage
Reference record
arab1395 · Arabic · Latitude 28.293689418964068 · Longitude 35.871537655605096
LanguageTable row arab1395; Name, Latitude, Longitude
Qualification Reference only
Language reference coordinates, not a word origin, borrowing site, historical territory or population distribution.
What Lexography infers
Use this point only to orient Arabic reference region; no historical movement is inferred.
Checked 2026-09-11 · revision 072ca0d0410039fb8b779be8fc165bac575d2cda. CC BY 4.0; selected coordinates, rounded for regional orientation
04Online Etymology Dictionary reports Arabic qairawan as a possible route between Persian karwan and French/Latin caravan forms.
Source
caravan — EtymologyOnline Etymology Dictionarycaravan(n.)
Source passage
Source summary · not a quotation
Online Etymology Dictionary reports Arabic qairawan as a possible route between Persian karwan and French/Latin caravan forms.
caravan(n.)
Qualification Alternative account
The exact medieval transmission through Arabic is not settled against the direct Persian-to-Romance account.
What Lexography infers
Preserve Arabic as a qualified intermediary rather than a compulsory stage.
Checked 2026-09-14. Linked source retains its copyright. Brief original factual paraphrases only; no full article redistributed.
05French caravane and Old French carvane/carevane are the French forms reported before English caravan.
Source
Wiktionary — caravanWiktionary contributorsEnglish > Etymology
Source passage
Source summary · not a quotation
French caravane and Old French carvane/carevane are the French forms reported before English caravan.
English > Etymology
Qualification Qualified
The sources compress Old and Middle French spellings and do not supply one exact transfer date.
What Lexography infers
Show a bounded French intermediary without inventing a single medieval witness.
Checked 2026-09-14. Wiktionary CC BY-SA 4.0 / GFDL; current page inspected, attributed summaries only; no full article redistributed.
06Glottolog supplies the reference coordinates for English.
Source
Glottolog 5.3 — language reference coordinatesHammarström, Forkel, Haspelmath & Bank; Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary AnthropologyLanguageTable row stan1293
Source passage
Reference record
stan1293 · English · Latitude 53.0 · Longitude -1.0
LanguageTable row stan1293; Name, Latitude, Longitude
Qualification Reference only
Language reference coordinates, not a word origin, borrowing site, historical territory or population distribution.
What Lexography infers
Use this point only to orient English reference region / Britain; no historical movement is inferred.
Checked 2026-09-11 · revision 072ca0d0410039fb8b779be8fc165bac575d2cda. CC BY 4.0; selected coordinates, rounded for regional orientation
07English caravan is attested in the 1590s for a company of travelers moving together for security.
Source
caravan — EtymologyOnline Etymology Dictionarycaravan(n.)
Source passage
Source summary · not a quotation
English caravan is attested in the 1590s for a company of travelers moving together for security.
caravan(n.)
Qualification Qualified
The 1590s date is an English lexical context and not a date for the Persian source or Crusade contact.
What Lexography infers
Use the group-of-travelers sense as the first English context.
Checked 2026-09-14. Linked source retains its copyright. Brief original factual paraphrases only; no full article redistributed.
08The English entry supplies modern caravan readings.
Source
Wiktionary — caravanWiktionary contributorsEnglish > Pronunciation
Source passage
Source summary · not a quotation
The English entry supplies modern caravan readings.
English > Pronunciation
Qualification Source-supported
The cited section supports this bounded lexical statement; it does not establish every use, date or transmission event.
What Lexography infers
Lexography selects this account for the named form or sense; wording and presentation are editorial.
Checked 2026-09-14. Wiktionary CC BY-SA 4.0 / GFDL; current page inspected, attributed summaries only; no full article redistributed.
09Glottolog supplies the reference coordinates for English.
Source
Glottolog 5.3 — language reference coordinatesHammarström, Forkel, Haspelmath & Bank; Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary AnthropologyLanguageTable row stan1293
Source passage
Reference record
stan1293 · English · Latitude 53.0 · Longitude -1.0
LanguageTable row stan1293; Name, Latitude, Longitude
Qualification Reference only
Language reference coordinates, not a word origin, borrowing site, historical territory or population distribution.
What Lexography infers
Use this point only to orient English reference region / Britain; no historical movement is inferred.
Checked 2026-09-11 · revision 072ca0d0410039fb8b779be8fc165bac575d2cda. CC BY 4.0; selected coordinates, rounded for regional orientation
10English caravan extended to a covered carriage in the 1670s and to a British mobile-home sense in the 1930s.
Source
caravan — EtymologyOnline Etymology Dictionarycaravan(n.)
Source passage
Source summary · not a quotation
English caravan extended to a covered carriage in the 1670s and to a British mobile-home sense in the 1930s.
caravan(n.)
Qualification Qualified
These are English semantic and usage developments, not stages in the Persian travel word.
What Lexography infers
Keep the vehicle sense separate from the traveling-company sense.
Checked 2026-09-14. Linked source retains its copyright. Brief original factual paraphrases only; no full article redistributed.