tun

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Later the village was surrounded by a wall called a tun, and by a transfer of terms the village frequently came to be called a mark, or tun, later changed to town.

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Definitions (17)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (2)

  1. noun A large cask for liquids, especially wine.
  2. noun A measure of liquid capacity, especially one equivalent to approximately 252 gallons (954 liters).

Toggle Century definitions Century Dictionary (12)

Toggle GNU Webster definitions GNU Webster's 1913 (2)

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Examples (50)

  • Later the village was surrounded by a wall called a tun, and by a transfer of terms the village frequently came to be called a mark, or tun, later changed to town. —  Society Its Origin and Development
  • In one corner of the apartment stood the large cuvée tun--capable of holding some 50 hogsheads--in which the blending of the wine is effected, and in an adjoining cellier women were briskly labelling and wrapping up the completed bottles of champagne. —  Facts About Champagne and Other Sparkling Wines
  • During the winter half year, the fermenting tun should be always covered; in summer, only partially so; the less strong beer is attempted to be brewed in that season the better, as it will not keep, necessity alone should compel the brewer to work, in this country, during the summer months; and then at small beer only Table Beer, English method of brewing it. —  The American Practical Brewer and Tanner
  • What is Flame?--_Frost the old Norse Seer discerns to be a monstrous hoary Jötun, the Giant Thrym_, Hrym_: or Rime_, the old word now nearly obsolete here, but still used in Scotland to signify hoar-frost. —  Sartor Resartus, and On Heroes, Hero-Worship, and the Heroic in History
  • And as he was thus standing in the pipe or tun, (for as yet Perilous' bull was not in use among the bishops,) it happened that the Prince, the King's eldest son, was there present; who showing some part of the good Samaritan, began to endeavour and assay how to save the life of him whom the hypocritical Levites and Pharisees sought to put to death. —  Henry of Monmouth, Volume 2 Memoirs of Henry the Fifth
 

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Etymologies (3)

Toggle American Heritage etymologies American Heritage Dictionary (1)

  1. Middle English, from Old English tunne, possibly of Celtic origin.

Toggle Century etymologies Century Dictionary (2)

  1. Also ton (now used only in the sense of a measure); early modern English tunne, tonne, from Middle English tunne, tonne, from Anglo-Saxon tunne =Middle Dutch tonne, D, ton =Old High German tunna, Middle High German tunne, German tonne =Icelandic tunna =Swedish tunna, Old Swedish tynna =Danish tönde; cf. French tonne (diminutive tonneau, Old French tonnel =Provencal Spanish Portuguese diminutive tonel), Middle Latin tunna, Irish and Gaelic tunna; root unknown; it is uncertain whether the Teut, or the Celtic forms are original. Hence tunnel.
  2. from tun, n.
 

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/tən/
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