Home / Dictionary / Tuna

Tuna Common

Tuna has 7 different meanings across 2 categories:

Noun · Proper Noun

Definitions
Noun
1

tropical American prickly pear of Jamaica

"The local market sold fresh tuna, a type of tropical American prickly pear native to Jamaica."

2

important warm-water fatty fish of the genus Thunnus of the family Scombridae; usually served as steaks

"The chef carefully sliced the fresh tuna into thick steaks to grill over charcoal."

3

any very large marine food and game fish of the genus Thunnus; related to mackerel; chiefly of warm waters

"The captain spotted a massive tuna swimming in the warm tropical waters, knowing it was both an excellent food source and a challenging target for sport fishermen."

4

New Zealand eel

"In some regions, the term tuna is mistakenly used to refer to a large New Zealand eel."

5

Any of several species of fish of the genus Thunnus in the family Scombridae.

"The local market offered fresh tuna and other exotic fruits alongside their traditional dishes."

6

The prickly pear, a type of cactus native to Mexico in the genus Opuntia.

In plain English: Tuna is a popular type of saltwater fish that people often eat canned as sandwiches or salad ingredients.

"For lunch, I made a sandwich with tuna and lettuce on whole wheat bread."

Usage: Tuna refers primarily to saltwater fish from the genus Thunnus, not the prickly pear cactus despite sharing the same name. When ordering food or discussing seafood, use this term for the oily bluefish rather than any plant variety.

Proper Noun
1

An eel-god, the son of Manga-wai-roa.

"In Māori mythology, Tuna is revered as an eel-god who was born to the deity Manga-wai-roa."

Example Sentences
"For lunch, I made a sandwich with tuna and lettuce on whole wheat bread." noun
"The family ordered tuna for dinner last night." noun
"She caught a large tuna while fishing in the bay." noun
"Fresh tuna is often served sashimi style in restaurants." noun
Related Terms
Broader Terms (hypernyms)
prickly pear saltwater fish scombroid food fish eel
Narrower Terms (hyponyms)
albacore bonito bluefin yellowfin

Origin

The word tuna entered English via United States Spanish as an alteration of atún, which traces back to Arabic and ultimately Ancient Greek, possibly originally referring to a darter because the fish swims quickly. It is also considered a doublet of the Italian loanword tonno.

Rhyming Words
una zuna yuna juna suna huna guna runa luna duna puna nuna cuna muna buna fauna djuna akuna bhuna tsuna
Compare
Tuna vs