Ton

The word ton or tonne is derived from the Old English tunne, and ultimately from the Old French tonne, and referred originally to a large cask with a capacity of 252 wine gallons, which holds approximately 2100 pounds of water. Such a barrel (of any similar volume) is still called a tun in British English, but this usage is dying out.

Related Topics:
Old English - French - Capacity - Gallon - Pound - Water

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The modern spelling tonne, almost always referring to the metric ton of 1000 kilograms (or the associated obsolete force unit) when used in English, is a direct borrowing from the French language.

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There are a many meanings of ton:

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