Where does “tuna melt” come from?

tuna melt (English) comes from English tuna, from Maori tuna, from Proto-Polynesian tuna, from Proto-Oceanic tuna, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian tuna, from Proto-Austronesian tuNa — freshwater eel.

tuna melt (English): A sandwich with tuna and a layer of melted cheese...

Definitions

  1. A sandwich with tuna and a layer of melted cheese...

Ancestry of “tuna melt”, step by step

tuna melt traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English tuna

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishtunaAny of several species of fish of the genus...
2Maoritunaeel of various species, including the longfin eel...
3Proto-Polynesiantunaeel
4Proto-Oceanictunafreshwater eel
5Proto-Malayo-Polynesiantunafreshwater eel
6Proto-AustronesiantuNafreshwater eel

via English melt

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishmeltMolten material, the product of melting; The...
2Middle Englishmeltento melt
3Old Englishmeltanto consume by fire, melt, burn up; dissolve,...
4Proto-Germanicmeltanąto dissolve; melt
5Proto-Indo-European(s)mel-false, erroneous; bad, evil
Every word from Proto-Austronesian tuNa →Every word from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian tuna →Every word from Proto-Oceanic tuna →
tuna melt — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer