tunna

Forms

tunna f (genitive tunnae); first declension^[1] Also spelled tonna and tona.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is probably borrowed from Gaulish *tondā, from Proto-Celtic *tondā (“surface, skin”),^[1] and Niermeyer also calls it Celtic.^[2] Matasović doubts the Celtic source because the meanings are too far apart,^[1] and Köbler leaves the origin open.^[3] Wiktionary compares Old Irish tonn (“skin; wineskin”) and notes that tun, Dutch ton and German Tonne are usually taken as borrowings from the Latin word.^[1] The DMLBS compares Old English tunne and Middle English tonne.^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

It first appears in glosses and in Sedulius Scottus,^[3] and Alcuin writes of a cask that barely held a little wine: parum vini vix tunna tenebat.^[4]

Semantic evolution

Du Cange defines it as a vessel for water, wine, beer or other liquids, and quotes Ælfric's glossary, which renders cupa as tunne.^[5] In medieval England it served also as a measure, for wine, iron or turpentine, and once named a chimney pot or cowl.^[4]

Its Old French descendants tone and tonne led to French tonne, the source of English tonne.^[1][6] Köbler traces French tonnelle and English tunnel to the derived Old French tonnel.^[3]

Timeline

• c. 1224 – An English record counts four broken tuns.^[4]
• 1316 – A Gascon roll speaks of the vessels called tonne.^[4]
• 1353 – A customs assessment sets a duty on tuns of iron.^[4]
• c. 1404 – Eight tuns of turpentine are recorded in the Canterbury letters.^[4]
• 1877 – English adopts French tonne for the metric ton.^[6]

Meanings

Noun

1. (Medieval Latin) A cask, barrel or tun.^[2][4][5]
2. (Medieval Latin) A tun as a measure of capacity.^[4]
3. (Medieval Latin) A chimney pot or cowl.^[4]

Related words

• English tun
• English tonne
• English tunnel

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
3. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Latham, R. E., D. R. Howlett, R. K. Ashdowne, et al. (1975–2013), Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources, London: British Academy / Oxford University Press
5. ^ a b du Cange, Charles du Fresne, et al. (1883–1887), Glossarium mediae et infimae latinitatis, augmented ed. by Léopold Favre, Niort: L. Favre
6. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com