As the name of a large fish (sometimes weighing over a thousand pounds), the word tuna did not appear in English until just over one hundred years ago when it appeared as a variant of the fish’s older English name, tunny. Dating back to the early sixteenth century, tunny derived from the French than, which in turn developed, via the Latin thunnus, from the Greek name for the fish, thunnos. As the name of a prickly pear, the word tuna appeared in the mid sixteenth century. This tuna derives from a West Indian source and entered English via Spanish.
A highly prized game and culinary fish, encompassing several distinct species, with one variant inhabiting the Pacific Ocean and another residing along the coast of Florida. This delicacy, oftentimes referred to as the “chicken of the sea,” boasts a tender and flaky flesh that can range in color from a pale ivory-white to a rosy pink-orange hue.