tunnel
[ tuhn-l ]
/ ˈtʌn l /
noun
verb (used with object), tun·neled, tun·nel·ing or (especially British) tun·nelled, tun·nel·ling.
verb (used without object), tun·neled, tun·nel·ing or (especially British) tun·nelled, tun·nel·ling.
to make a tunnel or tunnels: to tunnel through the Alps.
Origin of tunnel
OTHER WORDS FROM tunnel
Words nearby tunnel
tunisian,
tunja,
tunka,
tunker,
tunnage,
tunnel,
tunnel diode,
tunnel disease,
tunnel effect,
tunnel of love,
tunnel vision
Definition for tunneling (2 of 2)
tunnel effect
noun
Physics.
a quantum-mechanical process by which a particle can pass through a potential energy barrier that is higher than the energy of the particle: first postulated to explain the escape of alpha particles from atomic nuclei.
Also called
tun·nel·ing.
Origin of tunnel effect
First recorded in 1930–35
Example sentences from the Web for tunneling
British Dictionary definitions for tunneling (1 of 2)
tunnel
/ (ˈtʌnəl) /
noun
an underground passageway, esp one for trains or cars that passes under a mountain, river, or a congested urban area
any passage or channel through or under something
a dialect word for funnel
obsolete
the flue of a chimney
verb -nels, -nelling or -nelled or US -nels, -neling or -neled
(tr)
to make or force (a way) through or under (something)
to tunnel a hole in the wall; to tunnel the cliff
(intr; foll by through, under, etc)
to make or force a way (through or under something)
he tunnelled through the bracken
Derived forms of tunnel
tunneller or US tunneler, nounWord Origin for tunnel
C15: from Old French
tonel cask, from
tonne tun, from Medieval Latin
tonna barrel, of Celtic origin
British Dictionary definitions for tunneling (2 of 2)
tunnel effect
noun
physics
the phenomenon in which an object, usually an elementary particle, tunnels through a potential barrier even though it does not have sufficient energy to surmount the barrier. It is explained by wave mechanics and is the cause of alpha decay, field emission, and certain conduction processes in semiconductors
Medical definitions for tunneling
tunnel
[ tŭn′əl ]
n.
A passage located through or under a barrier.
Scientific definitions for tunneling
tunneling
[ tŭn′ə-lĭng ]
See quantum tunneling.
Idioms and Phrases with tunneling
tunnel
see light at the end of the tunnel.