tun

¹

[ tuhn ]

noun

1. a large cask for holding liquids, especially wine, ale, or beer.
2. a measure of liquid capacity, usually equivalent to 252 wine gallons.

verb (used with object)

, tunned, tun·ning.

1. to put into or store in a tun or tuns.

Tun.

²

abbreviation for

1. Tunisia.

tun

/ tʌn /

noun

1. a large beer cask
2. a measure of capacity, usually equal to 252 wine gallons
3. a cask used during the manufacture of beer

verb

1. tr to put into or keep in tuns

Word History and Origins

Origin of tun¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English noun tunne, Old English; cognate with Dutch ton, German Tonne (from Low German ), Old Norse tunna; verb from the noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of tun¹

Old English tunne ; related to Old High German, Old Norse tunna , Medieval Latin tunna

Example Sentences

He added that water bears can retract their limbs and shorten their bodies to enter a state called "tun" when they are particularly stressed out.

From Salon

“Those dunks Jalen had, just playing defense, locking up and spreading out. It tuns the momentum in our favor,” said Amen Thompson, who finished with 16 points of the bench for Houston.

From Seattle Times

It may tun out to be a climactic final act.

From Washington Times

Using his typical mix of nasty sliders and biting curveball with a located fastball to keep hitters honest, he didn’t get a tun of help from his defense, which committed two errors.

From Seattle Times

To watch the trailer for “My Zoe,” you’d expect a movie about a mother so wracked with grief over the death of her young daughter that she tuns to cloning to bring her back.

From Washington Post

Related Words

• basin
• bottle
• can
• flask
• jug
• pot
• urn
• vase
• vessel