Tuna
/ˈtuːnə/noun
A large, fast-swimming ocean fish of the mackerel family.
Did you know?The English word comes through Mediterranean trade networks from Latin and Greek forms for the fish, showing how a staple food can preserve an ancient name almost unchanged.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*teuH-
“to swell, be strong”
Ancient Greek
Greek
thýnnos (θύννος)
“a tuna or similar large fish”
Latin
Latin
thunnus
“tuna fish”
Old French
Old French
thon
“tuna”
Middle English
English
tuna
“tuna fish”
Modern English
English
tuna
“a large ocean fish, especially of the genus Thunnus”