Word Study
tuna
CIDE DICTIONARY
tuna, n.
tuna, n. [Cf. Tunny.].
- Any one of several species of large oceanic fishes belonging to the mackerel family
Scombridae , especially thebluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus , formerlyOrcynus thynnus or Albacora thynnus ), called also thecommon tunny orgreat tunny , a native of the Mediterranean Sea and of temperate parts of the Atlantic Ocean. It sometimes weighs a thousand pounds or more, and is caught commercially in large quantity for use as food; -- also called, especially in Britain,tunny . It is also one of the favorite fishes used by the Japanese in preparing sushi. On the American coast, especially in New England, it is sometimes called thehorse mackerel . Another well-known species is theyellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares ) of warm seas. the See Illust. ofHorse mackerel , under Horse."The little tunny (Gymnosarda alletterata ) of the Mediterranean and North Atlantic, and the long-finned tunny, or albacore (Thunnus alalunga ) (seeAlbacore ), are related species of smaller size." [1913 Webster] - The bonito, 2. [1913 Webster]
- the meat of the tuna, used as food; -- also called
tuna fish . [PJC]
OXFORD DICTIONARY
tuna, n. (pl. same or tunas)
1 any marine fish of the family Scombridae native to tropical and warm waters, having a round body and pointed snout, and used for food. Also called TUNNY.
2 (in full tuna-fish) the flesh of the tuna or tunny, usu. tinned in oil or brine.
1 any marine fish of the family Scombridae native to tropical and warm waters, having a round body and pointed snout, and used for food. Also called TUNNY.
2 (in full tuna-fish) the flesh of the tuna or tunny, usu. tinned in oil or brine.
tuna, n.
1 a prickly pear, esp. Opuntia tuna.
2 the fruit of this.
1 a prickly pear, esp. Opuntia tuna.
2 the fruit of this.
Etymology
Sp. f. Haitian
ROGET THESAURUS
tuna
Animal
N animal, animal kingdom, fauna, brute creation, beast, brute, creature, critter, wight, created being, creeping thing, living thing, dumb animal, dumb creature, zoophyte, mammal, bird, reptile, amphibian, fish, crustacean, shellfish, mollusk, worm, insect, arthropod, microbe, microbe, animalcule, alligator, crocodile, saurian, dinosaur (extinct), snake, serpent, viper, eft, asp, aspick, frog, toad, trout, bass, tuna, muskelunge, sailfish, sardine, mackerel, ant, mosquito, bee, honeybee, tardigrade, spider, biped, quadruped, webfoot, flocks and herds, live stock, domestic animals, wild animals, game, ferae naturae, beasts of the field, fowls of the air, denizens of the sea, black game, black grouse, blackcock, duck, grouse, plover, rail, snipe, horse, cattle, kine, ox, bull, bullock, cow, milch cow, calf, heifer, shorthorn, sheep, lamb, lambkin, ewe, ram, tup, pig, swine, boar, hog, sow, steer, stot, tag, teg, bison, buffalo, yak, zebu, dog, cat, dog, hound, pup, puppy, whelp, cur, mongrel, house dog, watch dog, sheep dog, shepherd's dog, sporting dog, fancy dog, lap dog, toy dog, bull dog, badger dog, mastiff, blood hound, grey hound, stag hound, deer hound, fox hound, otter hound, harrier, beagle, spaniel, pointer, setter, retriever, Newfoundland, water dog, water spaniel, pug, poodle, turnspit, terrier, fox terrier, Skye terrier, Dandie Dinmont, collie, feline, puss, pussy, grimalkin, gib cat, tom cat, fox, Reynard, vixen, stag, deer, hart, buck, doe, roe, caribou, coyote, elk, moose, musk ox, sambar, bird, poultry, fowl, cock, hen, chicken, chanticleer, partlet, rooster, dunghill cock, barn door fowl, feathered tribes, feathered songster, singing bird, dicky bird, canary, warbler, finch, aberdevine, cushat, cygnet, ringdove, siskin, swan, wood pigeon, vermin, varmint, pest, animal, zoological equine, bovine, vaccine, canine, feline, fishy, piscatory, piscatorial, molluscous, vermicular, gallinaceous, rasorial, solidungulate, soliped.For further exploring for "tuna" in Webster Dictionary Online