tunny
(ˈtʌnɪ)
Forms: 6 tuny(e, thunie, tunnye, 6–7 tony, tonny, tunnie, 7 tonnie, tunie, tunney, thinnye, 8–9 thunny, 7– tunny.
[ad. F. thon (14th c.), ad. Pr. ton, or It. tonno, L. thunnus (thynnus), ad. Gr. θύννος, in same sense; the termination -ie, -y seems to be only English, perh. orig. diminutive, as in Johnnie.]
a. A scombroid fish of the genus Orcynus, esp. the common tunny, O. thynnus, which has been fished from ancient times in the Mediterranean and Atlantic; it is one of the largest of food-fishes, often reaching a length of ten feet.
| 1530 Palsgr. 282/1 Tonny. 1555 Eden Decades 202 The Tunnye which is a great and good fysshe. 1556 Withals Dict. (1568) 8 b/2 A tony, thinnus. 1565–73 Cooper Thesaurus, Auxumae, the yong fish, comming of the spawne of Thunie. 1591 Harington Orl. Fur. vi. xxxvi, The Dolphin strong, the Tunny good of tast, The Mullet, Sturgeon, Samon (princely fish). 1601 Holland Pliny ix. xv. I. 242 The Tunies are exceeding great fishes: we have seene some of them to weigh fifteen talents, and the taile to be two cubits broad and a span. 1617 Moryson Itin. iii. 47 The fish called a Thinnye of Calcedonia. 1760–72 tr. Juan & Ulloa's Voy. (ed. 3) II. 308 We now..saw the Tunny and a great many flying-fish. 1781 Gibbon Decl. & F. xvii. II. 10 note, Among a variety of different species, the Pelamides, a sort of Thunnies, were the most celebrated. 1834 Nat. Philos. III. Phys. Geog. 50/2 (U.K.S.) Tunnies..migrate..every year from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean. |
b. attrib. and
Comb., as
tunny boat,
tunny fish (
= tunny),
tunny-fisher,
tunny-fishery,
tunny fishing (hence
tunny-fish vb. intr.);
tunny net;
tunny-faced adj.;
tunnyman, a boat engaged in tunny fishing.
| 1934 Yachting Monthly LVII. 24/1 An ever-interesting panorama is provided by the sardiniers and *tunny boats [at Concarneau]. 1974 ‘J. Graham’ Bloody Passage xiii. 173 There are a hell of a lot of tunny boats scattered around. |
| 1901 19th Cent. Oct. 641 The stupid or *tunny-faced man. |
| 1552 Huloet, *Tunye fyshe when it exceadeth not a foote in length, limaria. 1620 J. Mason New-found-land 5, I haue also seene Tonnie fish in Newland. 1796 Morse Amer. Geog. II. 428 The fisheries on the coast of Sardinia produce upwards of 60000 scudi in the article of tunny-fish. 1977 C. Watson One Man's Meat viii. 78 He was with me, *tunny-fishing off Scarborough. |
| 1889 C. Edwardes Sardinia 350 A veteran *tunny-fisher. |
| 1765 Smollett Trav. (1766) II. xxxix. 225 Pliny says it [Antibes] was famous for its *tunny-fishery. |
| 1971 ‘D. Halliday’ Dolly & Doctor Bird v. 66 Between its [sc. a bridge's] arches *tunny-fishing boats were constantly sprinting. |
| 1930 Sea Breezes Dec. 94 Whilst the motor is making rapid headway amongst the sardine luggers and crabbers, at present the *tunnymen are unaffected. 1961 A. J. R. Fraser Taylor Diary 13 Aug. in Roving Commissions 1962 (1963) 123 The following day a slow passage to Bermeo, tying up late in the evening alongside a tunnyman. |
| 1901 19th Cent. Oct. 645 Steaming out in our little launch to the fixed *tunny-nets. |
Hence
ˈtunnyhood (
nonce-wd. after
manhood), the state of a full-grown tunny.
| 1853 Badham Halieut. 193 An unfortunate habit of squinting acquired by the young cordylas, and not corrected by the parents as their offspring advanced to thunnyhood. |