Tunnel-Like
/ˈtʌnəl laɪk/noun
Resembling or shaped like a tunnel.
Did you know?The word tunnel originally referred to a small cask or barrel, likely because early tunnel openings were imagined as having a barrel-like shape.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Latin
Latin
tunna
“A cask or large container; probably a borrowed word of Germanic or Celtic origin.”
12th Century
Old French
tonel
“A small cask or barrel; a diminutive form related to ton.”
13th–14th Century
Middle English
tonel / tunel
“A small underground passage, likely named through comparison with a barrel or cask.”
14th Century
Middle English
tunnel
“An underground passage or covered passageway.”
Old English
Old English
gelīc
“Like, similar, or having the same form; the ancestor of the suffix -like.”
Modern English
English
tunnel-like
“Resembling a tunnel; formed by combining tunnel with the productive suffix -like.”