pantechnicon
/panˈtɛknɪk(ə)n
/noun British
A large van for transporting furniture.A furniture pantechnicon was backing into the entrance of the freight elevator, and the carpets and stereo-speakers, dressing tables and bedside lamps would soon be carried up the elevator shaft to form the elements of a private world....
- I have to weave about and even step into the road, because of the cars - and vans and trucks and the occasional pantechnicon - parked on the pavement.
- After the war Mr Taylor took the models - so big they had to be loaded into two pantechnicons - to Paris and across the Atlantic to Canada, where they created a great deal of interest.
Origin
Mid 19th century: from pan- 'all' + tekhnikon 'piece of art', originally the name of a bazaar in London for all kinds of artistic work, later converted into a furniture warehouse.