tuna1

[too-nuh, tyoo-] /ˈtu nə, ˈtyu-/
noun, plural (especially collectively) tuna (especially referring to two or more kinds or species) tunas.
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.
3.
Also called tuna fish. the flesh of the tuna, used as food.
Origin
1880-85, Americanism; < American Spanish, variant of Spanish atún < Arabic al the + tūn < Greek thýnnos tunny

tuna2

[too-nuh, tyoo-] /ˈtu nə, ˈtyu-/
noun
1.
any of various 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
1545-55; < Spanish < Taino
Examples from the web for tuna
  • His subsequent work on causes including dolphin-safe tuna evolved into community work.
  • The fishing potential, mostly lobster and tuna, is not fully exploited.
  • tuna fishing and tuna processing plants are the backbone of the private sector, with canned tuna the primary export.
  • tuna tartare is one of those dishes that acts as a canvas for a chef's culinary sensibilities.
  • tuna fishermen have long made use of it, searching for dolphins in order to find fish.
  • Numerous scientific studies have shown that while you can tune a piano, you can't tuna fish.
  • The chunky fennel vinaigrette also goes well with tuna steaks or swordfish.
  • Four days earlier, she had been convicted of stealing a can of tuna and a carton of cream.
  • We ate tuna sandwiches and potato chips on paper plates that had been gnawed by mice.
  • Here an emulsion of tuna oil is stabilized with a fiber called chitosan and imaged using confocal microscopy.
British Dictionary definitions for tuna

tuna1

/ˈtjuːnə/
noun (pl) -na, -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
Word Origin
C20: from American Spanish, from Spanish atún, from Arabic tūn, from Latin thunnus tunny, from Greek

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
Word Origin
C16: via Spanish from Taino
Word Origin and History for tuna
n.

1881, from American Spanish (California) tuna, from Spanish atun, from Arabic tun, from Latin thunnus "tunny" (see tunny).

Slang definitions & phrases for tuna

tuna

n,n phr
  1. The vulva; cunt
  2. A woman; a female

[1970s+ Black; fr the similarity, recognized esp in black slang, between the odor of the vulva and that of fish or other seafood; perhaps somehow influenced by Tiny Tuna, homosexual slang for a sailor as a sex object]