tun

A large cask; an oblong vessel bulging in the middle, like a pipe or puncheon, and girt with hoops; a wine cask. (See a diagram comparing cask sizes.)

Noun

  1. A large cask; an oblong vessel bulging in the middle, like a pipe or puncheon, and girt with hoops; a wine cask. (See a diagram comparing cask sizes.)
  2. A fermenting vat.
  3. A traditional unit of liquid measure (from the volume of such a cask) equal to 252 wine gallons or 2 pipes.
    • Again, by 28 Hen. VIII, cap. 14, it is re-enacted that the tun of wine should contain 252 gallons, a butt of Malmsey 126 gallons, a pipe 126 gallons, a tercian or puncheon 84 gallons, a hogshead 63 gallons, a tierce 41...

    Coordinate Terms: rundlet barrel tierce hogshead puncheon tertian pipe butt

  4. Synonym of long ton: a unit of mass equal to 2240 pounds, 20 hundredweights of 112 pounds avoirdupois each.

    Synonyms: long ton

  5. Synonym of ton: any extremely or excessively large amount.
    • He therefore sends you, meeter for your spirit, / This tun of treasure; and, in lieu of this, / Desires you let the dukedoms that you claim / Hear no more of you. - 1599 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Life of...
    • A Tun of Man in thy Large bulk is writ, / But sure thou'rt but a Kilderkin of wit. - 1682, John Dryden, Mac Flecknoe, lines 195–196:

    Synonyms: ton

  6. Synonym of drunkard: a person who drinks excessively.

    Synonyms: drunkard

  7. Any shell belonging to Tonna and allied genera.
  8. The cryptobiotic state of a tardigrade, when its metabolism is temporarily suspended.
  9. A small silver cup holding half a pint, sometimes having a whistle in the handle that could not be blown until the cup was empty.
    • So abundant is the supply of tankards and "tuns" […] - 1900, Douglas Macleane, Pembroke College, page 249:
  10. a chimney.

Origin

From Middle English tunne, tonne (“cask, barrel”), from Old English tunne (“tun, cask, barrel”), from Proto-Germanic *tunnǭ, *tunnō (“tun, barrel, cask”), from Latin tunna, probably of Gaulish origin. Cognate with North Frisian tenn (“tun, barrel, cask”), Dutch ton (“tun, barrel, cask”), German Tonne (“tun, barrel, drum”), Danish tønde (“barrel”), Swedish tunna (“barrel, cask, tun”), Icelandic tunna (“barrel”). Compare also Old French tonne, French tonneau (“ton, barrel”), Medieval Latin tunna (“cask”), Middle Irish tunna (“cask”), Welsh tynell (“tun, barrel”). It is uncertain whether the Germanic or the Celtic forms are the original.

Forms

tuns tunne tonne

Derived

Heidelberg Tun mash tun tun-belly tundish tunful tunlike tunnage

Noun Entry 2

  1. A part of the ancient Maya Long Count Calendar system which corresponds to 18 winal cycles or 360 days.

Origin

From Mayan.

Forms

tuns tunob tunne tonne

Related

tun-moot

Noun Malaysia

  1. A respectful term of address to royalties and certain award recipients

Origin

Etymology tree Malay tunbor. English tun Borrowed from Malay tun.

Forms

tuns tunne tonne

Verb

  1. To put into tuns, or casks.
    • Strong beer that is brewed in small quantities, and ale, whatever the quantity may be, should be tunned the second day after brewing; and small beer should be tunned as soon as it has fairly taken the yeast - 1843, Mary...

Forms

tuns tunning tunned tunne tonne