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tunnage

[tuhn-ij]
noun
  1. tonnage.
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tonnage

or tun·nage

[tuhn-ij]
noun
  1. the capacity of a merchant vessel, expressed either in units of weight, as deadweight tons, or of volume, as gross tons.
  2. ships collectively considered with reference to their carrying capacity or together with their cargoes.
  3. a duty on ships or boats at so much per ton of cargo or freight, or according to the capacity in tons.
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Origin of tonnage

1375–1425; late Middle English: duty < Old French. See ton1, -age
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for tunnage

Historical Examples

  • For instance, tunnage and poundage were appropriated for naval defenses.

    Our Legal Heritage, 5th Ed.

    S. A. Reilly

British Dictionary definitions for tunnage

tunnage

noun
  1. a variant spelling of tonnage
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tonnage

tunnage

noun
  1. the capacity of a merchant ship expressed in tons, for which purpose a ton is considered as 40 cubic feet of freight or 100 cubic feet of bulk cargo, unless such an amount would weigh more than 2000 pounds in which case the actual weight is used
  2. the weight of the cargo of a merchant ship
  3. the total amount of shipping of a port or nation, estimated by the capacity of its ships
  4. a duty on ships based either on their capacity or their register tonnage
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Word Origin

C15: from Old French, from tonne barrel
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for tunnage

tonnage

n.

early 15c., from ton + -age. Originally was "tax or duty on wine imported in tuns."

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper