túnel

tunnel

noun TOO-nel Rare

Origin: From French tunnel, from English tunnel, from Old French tonnelle (barrel vault).

Usage Note

Túnel follows the stress-shift pluralisation rule: the plural is túneles — the written accent is retained because the additional syllable would otherwise shift the stress. The idiom ver la luz al final del túnel ('to see the light at the end of the tunnel') is used in Spanish exactly as in English to signal approaching relief from difficulties.

Examples

"El tren entró en el túnel y desapareció de la vista."

Natural Translation

The train entered the tunnel and disappeared from sight.

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