Tonna

Part of speech: noun, informal

Definitions

1. A genus of large sea snails ; a surname that may be found in some cultures ; a name that can refer to various localities or entities depending on context
2. Refers to a group of marine gastropod mollusks ; used as a family name in certain regions ; sometimes designates places or organizations
3. Identifies a type of tropical sea snail ; can be adopted as a last name by individuals ; applies to geographic locations or institutional titles in specific instances

Etymology: The name comes from the cask. The large spiral shells of these sea snails are barrel-shaped, and they are known in English as "tun" shells, after the big wooden barrel called a tun. A tun held a great volume of wine or ale, and the snail's swollen shell suggested the same bulk. The word traces back through Old English "tunne," meaning a cask, to Late Latin "tunna," which had the same sense. The genus name "Tonna" uses the same Latin stem, so the animal's scientific name also refers to a barrel.

Synonyms: ton, load, weight, mass, bulk