Where does “tuna” come from?
tuna (Indonesian) comes from Malay tuna, 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 (Indonesian): tuna, any of several species of fish of the genus...
Definitions
- tuna, any of several species of fish of the genus...
Ancestry of “tuna”, step by step
tuna traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Malay tuna
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Malay | tuna | The name of a mudsnake or eel with a yellowish body, possibly the marbled eel, Anguilla marmorata |
| 2 | English | tuna | Any of several species of fish of the genus... |
| 3 | Maori | tuna | eel of various species, including the longfin eel... |
| 4 | Proto-Polynesian | tuna | eel |
| 5 | Proto-Oceanic | tuna | freshwater eel |
| 6 | Proto-Malayo-Polynesian | tuna | freshwater eel |
| 7 | Proto-Austronesian | tuNa | freshwater eel |