Where does “Tunnel” come from?

Tunnel (English) comes from Old French tonel, from Old French tone, from Late Latin tunna, from Proto-Celtic tunna — hide, skin.

Tunnel (English): An underground or underwater passage

Definitions

  1. An underground or underwater passage

Ancestry of “Tunnel”, step by step

Tunnel traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Old French tonel

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Frenchtonelbarrel
2Old Frenchtonelarge barrel
3Late Latintunnatun, box
4Proto-Celtictunnahide, skin

via Middle French tonnelle

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Frenchtonnellebarrel; underground tube
2Old Frenchtonneton; cask

Words derived from “Tunnel”

Every word from Proto-Celtic tunna →Every word from Late Latin tunna →Every word from Old French tone →