tu|na

tu|na¹ «TOO nuh», noun, plural tu|nas or (collectively) tu|na.

1. a large sea fish, closely related to the mackerel, having coarse oily flesh that is widely used as food; tunny; horse mackerel. It is valued as a game fish.

2. any one of several similar or related fishes.

3. the flesh of the tuna. Tuna tastes somewhat like chicken.

╂[American English < American Spanish tuna < Spanish atún < Arabic tun < Latin thunnus; see etym. under tunny (Cf. ↑tunny)]

–tu´na|like´, adjective.

tu|na² «TOO nuh», noun.

1. any one of several prickly pears, especially a treelike pear of tropical America with an edible fruit.

2. the fruit itself.

╂[< Spanish tuna < Arawak (Haiti)]