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tunny

 - 4 dictionary results

tun⋅ny

[tuhn-ee]
–noun, plural (especially collectively) -ny, (especially referring to two or more kinds or species) -nies. Chiefly British.
tuna 1 .

Origin:
1520–30; by apocope < ML tunnīna false tunny, n. use of fem. of tunnīnus like a tunny, equiv. to tunn(us) tunny (var. of L thynnus < Gk thýnnos) + -īnus -ine 1
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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tu·na 1   (tōō'nə, tyōō'-)   
n.   pl. tuna or tu·nas
    1. Any of various often large scombroid marine food and game fishes of the genus Thunnus and related genera, many of which, including T. thynnus and the albacore, are commercially important sources of canned fish. Also called tunny.

    2. Any of several related fishes, such as the bonito.

  1. The edible flesh of tuna, often canned or processed. Also called tuna fish.


[American Spanish, from Spanish atún, from Arabic at-tūn, the tuna, from Latin thunnus; see tunny.]
tun·ny   (tŭn'ē)   
n.   pl. tunny or tun·nies
See tuna1.

[Italian tonno or French thon, both from Old Provençal ton, from Latin thynnus, from Greek thunnos.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

tunny 
large sea-fish of the mackerel order, 1530, probably from M.Fr. thon (14c.), from O.Prov. ton, from L. thunnus "a tuna, tunny," from Gk. thynnos "a tuna, tunny," possibly in the literal sense of "darter," from thynein "dart along."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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