tonne

See also Tonne

English

Pronunciation

• tŭn, IPA: /tʌn/, X-SAMPA: /tVn/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Homophones: ton, tun
• Rhymes: -ʌn
• (Australia, New Zealand) tŏn, IPA: /tɒn/, X-SAMPA: /tQn/ (especially when emphasizing tonnes and not tons)
• Rhymes: -ɒn

Noun

tonne (plural tonnes)

1. A metric unit of mass equal to 1000 kilograms. Symbol: t
2. (colloquial, darts) A score of 100.

Usage notes

1. A tonne (about 2204.6 pounds) is not exactly the same as a long ton (2240 pounds). Because "ton" and "tonne" usually have the same pronounciation, the phrase "metric ton" is frequently used for "tonne" where disambiguation is required.
2. In the 1970s the British steel industry promoted the pronounciation /ˈtʌnɪ/ to help avoid confusion. The pronounciation /tɒn/ has also been used for the same reason.

1. • 1971. Transactions of the Royal Institute of Naval Archtects, page 215, volume 113, 1971

     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.

   • 1972, Which, May 1972

     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’.

   • 2002, Richard Chapman, Physics for Geologists, page 138, CRC Press, 2002 ISBN 0415288053

     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.

Synonyms

• metric ton

Translations

1000 kilograms

• Breton: tonenn (br) f
• Czech: tuna (cs) f
• Finnish: tonni (fi)
• French: tonne (fr) f
• German: Tonne (de) f

• Hebrew: טון (he) (ton) m
• Polish: tona (pl) f
• Russian: тонна (ru) (tónna) f 
• Swedish: ton (sv) n

Anagrams

• nonet
• tenno, Tenno
• tenon

---

Finnish

Etymology

• The sublative of tuo.

Adverb

tonne

1. (colloquial, of movement) there (when the speaker points at the place):

   • Me mentiin tonne. (cf. tuolla)
     • We went there.

See also

• tuonne

Anagrams

• neton, onnet

---

French

Pronunciation

• audio

  (file)

Noun

tonne f (plural tonnes)

1. tonne, metric ton
2. ton

Verb

tonne

1. First- and third-person indicative and subjunctive present of tonner.
2. Second-person singular imperative of tonner.