tonne

CEFRB2

/tʌn/

noun

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

Examples

Thanks a tonne. How come you're being so kind to me?
Although loads of up to 900 tonnes could be handled by one of these locomotives, in practice the load is limited to 790 tonnes by drawgear.

At a glance

Sits at B2 on the CEFR scale

Also pronounced

Deep Dive

Extra meaning

In context

The tonne rhymes with con (perhaps not in North America!) to distinguish it from the non-SI unit of weight, the ton rhyming with bun.
The British Steel Corporation, going metric but realising the possible confusion between a ton and a tonne (1,000 kilograms) has directed its staff to pronounce ‘tonne’ ‘tunnie’.

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

The word in print, with each source given in full.

Although loads of up to 900 tonnes could be handled by one of these locomotives, in practice the load is limited to 790 tonnes by drawgear.
1961 February, “Letters to the Editor: Swiss railways”, in Trains Illustrated, page 126
The metric ton or 'tonne' is accepted as a synonym for the megagramme, and this form Is to be preferred on the grounds of brevity and familiarity in the industry. It may be as well to use the pronunciation 'tunnie' until the risk of confusion with the old ton has passed.
1971, Transactions of the Royal Institute of Naval Arcihtects, volume 113, page 215
The British Steel Corporation, going metric but realising the possible confusion between a ton and a tonne (1,000 kilograms) has directed its staff to pronounce ‘tonne’ ‘tunnie’.
1972 May, Which
The tonne rhymes with con (perhaps not in North America!) to distinguish it from the non-SI unit of weight, the ton rhyming with bun.
2002, Richard Chapman, Physics for Geologists, CRC Press, published 2002, →ISBN, page 138

Looking a word up is the easy part. LexUp remembers which words you have met and brings them back at the point you were about to forget them.

From French tonne. Doublet of ton and tun.