Channel Tunnel
1
3.4
- noun
:
Túnel del Canal
- Many tourists use the Channel Tunnel to ride the Eurostar train from London to Paris.
Examples
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The undersea passage is the $13 billion Channel Tunnel, which through its three 50-kilometer arteries spans a total of 150 kilometers beneath the channel and under the mainland, one of the largest privately financed engineering projects in history.
Academic text (1993) -
The train rushes into the Channel Tunnel.
Academic text (1997) -
The new line is expected to open one month after Eurostar begins running through the Channel Tunnel.
Academic text (1993) -
Deep beneath the English Channel lies a recently completed landmark engineering project—the Channel Tunnel connecting England and France.
Academic text (1993) -
The Channel Tunnel is a key element of a plan drawn up by the European Community for a future rail network, which ambitiously calls for 20,000 kilometers of high-speed track throughout Europe by the year 2000.
Academic text (1993) -
Traveling through the Channel Tunnel allows passengers to go between England and France quickly.
-
The Channel Tunnel provides a direct rail link under the sea, enabling faster travel options for commuters.
Synonyms
615
1.0
An underground passage for cars, trains, or people to travel through
7
3.2
A passage built under the ground for people or vehicles to pass through
3
4.2
A train tunnel under the English Channel that links France and England
1
3.5
A tunnel built for trains to pass through hills or under cities
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: 'channel' (a water passage) + 'tunnel' (a man-made passage) yields a tunnel under or through a channel, which matches the given definition. This infrastructure-naming pattern is common cross-linguistically, so a B1 learner who knows both words will readily understand the referent even if they don't know the specific proper name.
Etymology
Channel Tunnel is a very literal name: the Channel is the 'sea' between England and France and the tunnel is the long passage built under it. So, imagine trains going through a tube under the water; that's why it means a rail link that connects the two countries.