Main Difference
The main difference between Shirt and Tunic is that the Shirt is a garment for the upper body and Tunic is a simple T-shaped or sleeveless garment, usually unfitted, of archaic origin.
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Shirt
A shirt is a cloth garment for the upper body (from the neck to the waist).
Originally an undergarment worn exclusively by men, it has become, in American English, a catch-all term for a broad variety of upper-body garments and undergarments. In British English, a shirt is more specifically a garment with a collar, sleeves with cuffs, and a full vertical opening with buttons or snaps (North Americans would call that a “dress shirt”, a specific type of “collared shirt”). A shirt can also be worn with a necktie under the shirt collar.
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Tunic
A tunic is a garment for the body, usually simple in style, reaching from the shoulders to a length somewhere between the hips and the knees. The name derives from the Latin tunica, the basic garment worn by both men and women in Ancient Rome, which in turn was based on earlier Greek garments that covered wearers’ waists.
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Shirt (noun)
An worn on the upper part of the body, and often has sleeves, either long or short, that cover the arms.
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Shirt (noun)
a member of the shirt-wearing team.
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Shirt (verb)
To cover or clothe with a shirt, or as if with a shirt.
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Tunic (noun)
A garment worn over the torso, with or without sleeves, and of various lengths reaching from the hips to the ankles.
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Tunic (noun)
Any covering, such as seed coat or the organ that covers a membrane.
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Shirt (noun)
a garment for the upper body made of cotton or a similar fabric, with a collar and sleeves, and with buttons down the front
“tonight he’s smartly dressed in shirt and tie”
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Shirt (noun)
a garment similar to a shirt, made of stretchable material and typically having a short row of buttons at the neck, worn as casual wear or for sports
“a rugby shirt”
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Shirt (noun)
used to refer to membership of a particular sports team
“Smith increased his chances of a Great Britain shirt with a penalty shot save”
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Tunic (noun)
a loose garment, typically sleeveless and reaching to the knees, as worn in ancient Greece and Rome.
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Tunic (noun)
a loose, thigh-length garment, worn typically by women over a skirt or trousers
“A-line tunic tops”
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Tunic (noun)
a gymslip.
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Tunic (noun)
a close-fitting short coat as part of a uniform, especially a police or military uniform.
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Tunic (noun)
an integument or membrane enclosing or lining an organ or part.
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Tunic (noun)
any of the concentric layers of a plant bulb, e.g. an onion.
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Tunic (noun)
the rubbery outer coat of a sea squirt.