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English word origin

Etymology of ton

Variant of tun (“cask”), influenced by Old French tonne (“ton”).

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
noun

The short ton of 2000 pounds (about 907 kg), 20 hundredweights of 100 pounds avoirdupois each. · The long ton of 2240 pounds (about 1016 kg), 20 hundredweights of 112 pounds avoirdupois each. · The metric ton of 1000 kilograms (about 2205 lb), 10 quintals of 100 kilograms each. · The measurement ton of (US) 40 or (UK) 42 cubic feet (about 1.1 or 1.2 m³).

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Variant of tun (“cask”), influenced by Old French tonne (“ton”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Derivation mentiontonnefro

This page abbreviates 7 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fro",
        "3": "tonne",
        "4": "",
        "5": "ton"
      },
      "expansion": "Old French tonne (“ton”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "tun",
      "tun#English"
    ],
    [
      "tonne",
      "tonne#Old_French"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [
    {
      "lang": "Tokelauan",
      "lang_code": "tkl",
      "word": "tone",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ]
    },
    {
      "lang": "Tokelauan",
      "lang_code": "tkl",
      "word": "tane",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "The short ton of 2000 pounds (about 907 kg), 20 hundredweights of 100 pounds avoirdupois each.",
        "The long ton of 2240 pounds (about 1016 kg), 20 hundredweights of 112 pounds avoirdupois each.",
        "The metric ton of 1000 kilograms (about 2205 lb), 10 quintals of 100 kilograms each.",
        "The measurement ton of (US) 40 or (UK) 42 cubic feet (about 1.1 or 1.2 m³)."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "cdc2c6fc50a6904d55367fda5b1357c5c0c9aba9c7ee136f9a36ccff6ecf2bdf",
      "rawRecordSha256": "3f11f94452ea6af99dca9908de102b3be6f22ac88580b91141425d39c83bea92",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 164868
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 7,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
noun

Fashion, the current style, the vogue. · Fashionable society; those in style.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Borrowed from French ton (“manner”), from Latin tonus. Doublet of tone, tune, and tonus.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Borrowed-form mentiontonfr
  • Derivation mentiontonusla
  • Doublet mentiontoneen
  • Doublet mentiontuneen
  • Doublet mentiontonusen
Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fr",
        "3": "ton",
        "4": "",
        "5": "manner"
      },
      "expansion": "French ton (“manner”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "tonus"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin tonus"
    },
    {
      "name": "doublet",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "tone",
        "3": "tune",
        "4": "tonus"
      },
      "expansion": "Doublet of tone, tune, and tonus"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "ton",
      "ton#French"
    ],
    [
      "tonus",
      "tonus#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "tone",
      "tone#English"
    ],
    [
      "tune",
      "tune#English"
    ],
    [
      "tonus",
      "tonus#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "Fashion, the current style, the vogue.",
        "Fashionable society; those in style."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "uncountable"
      ],
      "recordId": "374c4e526c13f9a6ab94ccb3d884a44a82ac9334ac97a62d219c940ae063cd83",
      "rawRecordSha256": "1a1020965388ebf49e7f8560607f191a1bd6ef51e90b0e98376cf6a5b20cad9d",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 164869
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for ton →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-dG9u