Where does “tunnelful” come from?

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

tunnelful (English): Enough to fill a tunnel

Definitions

  1. Enough to fill a tunnel

Ancestry of “tunnelful”, step by step

tunnelful traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English Tunnel

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishTunnelAn underground or underwater passage
2Old Frenchtonelbarrel
3Old Frenchtonelarge barrel
4Late Latintunnatun, box
5Proto-Celtictunnahide, skin

via English ful

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Englishful—
Every word from Proto-Celtic tunna →Every word from Late Latin tunna →Every word from Old French tone →