tonneau

[ tuh-noh ]
/ tʌˈnoʊ /

noun, plural ton·neaus, ton·neaux [tuh-nohz] /tʌˈnoʊz/.

a rear part or compartment of an automobile body, containing seats for passengers.
a complete automobile body having such a rear part.
a waterproof cover, generally of canvas or vinyl, that can be fastened over the cockpit of a roadster or convertible to protect the interior.

Origin of tonneau

1900–05; < French: literally, cask; Old French tonel. See tunnel

Words nearby tonneau

tonlet, tonn., tonnage, tonnage deck, tonne, tonneau, tonner, tono-, tonoclonic, tonoclonic spasm, tonofibril

Example sentences from the Web for tonneaux

  • Forty-eight tons (tonneaux) of powder had been placed in the mines.

    The Empire of Russia |John S. C. Abbott

  • We knew that Williams, the ignoble designer of tonneaux, laboured under the delusion that he could paint.

    Aliens |William McFee

British Dictionary definitions for tonneaux

tonneau
/ (ˈtɒnəʊ) /

noun plural -neaus or -neaux (-nəʊ, -nəʊz)

Also called: tonneau cover
  1. a detachable cover to protect the rear part of an open car when it is not carrying passengers
  2. a similar cover that fits over all the passenger seats, but not the driver's, in an open vehicle
rare the part of an open car in which the rear passengers sit

Word Origin for tonneau

C20: from French: special type of vehicle body, from Old French tonnel cask, from tonne tun