Entry no. 01

Milano — MMXXVI

The Tuna Dictionary

Tonno

/ˈtɔn.no/

noun · verb

  1. 1.

    A state of deliberate inactivity, generally characterised by lying down, scrolling indefinitely, postponing responsibilities and experiencing a temporary absence of urgency.

  2. 2.

    A person currently experiencing such a state.

  3. 3.

    By extension, a temporary condition of physical, social or intellectual inactivity.

The origin of tonnare

TunaTune takes its name from an expression born within a close group of friends. In their vocabulary, “tonno” became a playful definition of a person who does absolutely nothing — an almost amoeba-like state of existence in which productivity, urgency and ambition temporarily disappear.

The verb “tonnare” followed naturally. To tonnare is not simply to do nothing. It is a state of being. It can happen on a sofa, in bed, after a night out, or simply when the world is moving and you have decided not to.

The expression became particularly relevant to a generation whose daily life is increasingly divided between going out, staying in and endlessly scrolling. TunaTune takes this deliberately unserious word and treats it with absolute seriousness.

Tonnare: a contemporary state of being

Tonnare describes a form of inactivity that could only exist now: shaped by social media, by nightlife and the long recovery that follows it, by an attention span negotiated hourly. It is not rest, and it is not laziness. It is the deliberate decision to remain still while everything else insists on movement.

Scientific status
Unverified
Cultural status
Widely practised
Productivity
Temporarily unavailable

Officially unofficial.
Scientifically unverified.
Widely practised.