Chunnel

Or chun·nel

[chuhn-l]

noun

1. a railroad tunnel under the English Channel between Great Britain and France, approved for construction in 1986.

Chunnel

/ ˈtʃʌnəl /

noun

1. informal,  a rail tunnel beneath the English Channel, linking England and France, opened in 1994

Word History and Origins

Origin of Chunnel¹

1925–30; blend of channel ¹ and tunnel

Word History and Origins

Origin of Chunnel¹

C20: from _Ch ( _annel ) + ( _t ) _unnel

Example Sentences

CANNES, France — Tom Cruise’s Ethan Hunt arrived in France in 1996’s “Mission: Impossible” clinging to a high speed train through the Chunnel, pursued and nearly skewered by a helicopter.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The prevailing standard of train travel in Europe is a far cry from the sleek Chunnel trains that zip beneath the seabed of the English Channel and can reach speeds of 186 miles per hour.

Read more on Washington Post

No channel tunnel was built until Eurotunnel opened the “Chunnel” in 1994, between Folkestone, England, and Coquelles, France.

Read more on Scientific American

The project has been a success on both sides of the Chunnel.

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He drove to Calais to get the masterpiece when it emerged from the Chunnel and was at last overseeing its rehanging in the Louvre’s Rembrandt room.

Read more on Seattle Times