tuna

1
[ too-nuh, tyoo- ]

noun,plural (especially collectively) tu·na, (especially referring to two or more kinds or species) tu·nas.
  1. any of several large food and game fishes of the family Scombridae, inhabiting temperate and tropical seas.: Compare albacore, bluefin tuna, yellowfin tuna.

  2. any of various related fishes.

  1. Also called tuna fish . the flesh of the tuna, used as food.

Origin of tuna

1
An Americanism first recorded in 1880–85; from Spanish (California), variant of Spanish atún, from Arabic al “the” + tūn, from Greek thýnnos tunny

Words Nearby tuna

Other definitions for tuna (2 of 2)

tuna2
[ too-nuh, tyoo- ]

noun
  1. any of various prickly pears, prickly pears, especially either of two erect, treelike species, Opuntia tuna or O. ficus-indica, of Mexico, bearing a sweet, edible fruit.

  2. the fruit of these plants.

Origin of tuna

2
First recorded in 1545–55; from Spanish, from Taíno

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How to use tuna in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for tuna (1 of 2)

tuna1

/ (ˈtjuːnə) /


nounplural -na or -nas
  1. Also called: tunny any of various large marine spiny-finned fishes of the genus Thunnus, esp T. thynnus, chiefly of warm waters: family Scombridae . They have a spindle-shaped body and widely forked tail, and are important food fishes

  2. any of various similar and related fishes

Origin of tuna

1
C20: from American Spanish, from Spanish atún, from Arabic tūn, from Latin thunnus tunny, from Greek

British Dictionary definitions for tuna (2 of 2)

tuna2

/ (ˈtjuːnə) /


noun
  1. any of various tropical American prickly pear cacti, esp Opuntia tuna, that are cultivated for their sweet edible fruits

  2. the fruit of any of these cacti

Origin of tuna

2
C16: via Spanish from Taino

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