Emily Dickinson Lexicon

van (-s), n. [1. Welsh fan, occurring in place-names in S. Wales. 2. Shortening of vanguard, OFr avangarde.]

1. Vanguard; front of an army; first line of a group; foremost division of a fleet in sailing or in battle. J1242/Fr1343 Birds with surprise / Would scan the cowering Van / Of men escaping / From the mind of man
2. Flock; group of creatures. J1364/Fr1412 Birds examine it and flee / And Vans without a name / Inspect the Admonition / And sunder as they came

Van Dieman's Land, proper n. [ED's variant spelling of Van Diemen's Land; Dutch < Diem, river in the Netherlands.]

Tasmania; British penal colony; island southeast of Australia; territory named after Anthony Van Diemen, governor of Dutch East Indies; [fig.] zero; abyss; oblivion; nothingness; infinity; underworld; place down under; earth's lower hemisphere; spirit world for the dead.

Vandyke, proper n. [Dutch, van, from + dyke, the dike.]

Sir Anthony Van Dyck (1599-1641); Flemish painter; Baroque portrait and landscape artist; [fig.] master creator.

vane (-'s), n. [southern variation of fane, < common Teut.] (webplay: showing, way).

vanish (-ed, -es), v. [OFr evaniss-.] (webplay: depart, land, rising sun, sense, sight).

vanished, verbal adj. [see vanish, v.] (webplay: away, light, lost).

vanity, n. [OFr vanite < L. vānitāt-.] (webplay: come, idle, once).

vanquish (-ed), v. [OFr vencus, mod. Fr. vaincre, conquer, overcome.] (webplay: away, defeat, victor).

vanquished, verbal adj. [see vanquish, v.]

variety, n. [Fr. < L. varietāt, difference, diversity.] (webplay: clouds, light, unlike).

Mixture; quality; different form of some thing.