Onions

[uhn-yuh nz]

noun

Charles Tal·but [tawl-buh t, tal-] /ˈtɔl bət, ˈtæl-/, 1873–1965, English lexicographer and philologist.

onion

[uhn-yuh n]

noun

a plant, Allium cepa, of the amaryllis family, having an edible, succulent, pungent bulb.
any of certain similar plants.
the bulb of the onion plant.
the flavor or odor of this bulb.
Slang. a person: He's a tough onion.

adjective

containing or cooked with onions: onion soup.
of, relating to, or resembling an onion.

Idioms

know one's onions, Slang. to know one's subject or business thoroughly; be capable or proficient.

Origin of onion

1325–75; Middle English onyon < Old French oignon < Latin ūniōn- (stem of ūniō) a unity, large pearl, onion; see union

Related formson·ion·like, adjectiveon·ion·y, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for onions

Contemporary Examples of onions

On busier roads, elderly, scarved women sat by piles of potatoes and onions hoping forlornly for a sale.
As the Key Battle Looms, a Report from Ukraine's Front Lines
Jamie Dettmer
August 13, 2014
The salmon is presented atop a mound of sautéed vegetables: mushrooms, peppers, squash, onions, leafy greens, and herbs.
Spaghetti for Breakfast?! Not So Crazy at This Idaho Farm Café
Jane & Michael Stern
August 4, 2014
Two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions—on a sesame seed bun.
Have We Reached ‘Peak Burger’? The Crazy Fetishization of Our Most Basic Comfort Food
Brandon Presser
July 31, 2014
He uses a spatula to flatten the onions and the meat together, creating a broad circular patty with an uneven edge.
The Most American Pit Stop in the U.S.A.
Jane & Michael Stern
July 21, 2014
In El Reno, when you order a hamburger, an onion-fried burger is assumed, unless you instruct the cook to leave the onions out.
The Most American Pit Stop in the U.S.A.
Jane & Michael Stern
July 21, 2014

Historical Examples of onions

Cook the potatoes and onions in the water until they are soft.
Woman's Institute Library of Cookery, Vol. 3
Woman's Institute of Domestic Arts and Sciences
After the onions have been peeled, they may be cooked in a variety of ways.
Woman's Institute Library of Cookery, Vol. 2
Woman's Institute of Domestic Arts and Sciences
When they are about half done put the onions and parsley into the pan.
Directions for Cookery, in its Various Branches
Eliza Leslie
Put the onions into the melted butter, and boil them up at once.
Directions for Cookery, in its Various Branches
Eliza Leslie
In the mean time, peel and boil in a sauce-pan a dozen onions.
Directions for Cookery, in its Various Branches
Eliza Leslie

British Dictionary definitions for onions

Onions

noun

Charles Talbut. 1873–1965, English lexicographer; an editor of the Oxford English Dictionary

onion

noun

an alliaceous plant, Allium cepa, having greenish-white flowers: cultivated for its rounded edible bulb
the bulb of this plant, consisting of concentric layers of white succulent leaf bases with a pungent odour and taste
any of several related plants similar to A. cepa, such as A. fistulosum (Welsh onion)
know one's onions British slang to be fully acquainted with a subject

Derived Formsoniony, adjective

Word Origin for onion

C14: via Anglo-Norman from Old French oignon, from Latin unio onion, related to union

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for onions

onion

early 12c., from Anglo-French union, Old French oignon "onion" (formerly also oingnon), and directly from Latin unionem (nominative unio), colloquial rustic Roman for "a kind of onion," also "pearl" (via notion of a string of onions), literally "one, unity;" sense connection is the successive layers of an onion, in contrast with garlic or cloves.

Old English had ynne (in ynne-leac), from the same Latin source, which also produced Irish inniun, Welsh wynwyn and similar words in Germanic. In Dutch, the ending in -n was mistaken for a plural inflection and new singular ui formed. The usual Indo-European name is represented by Greek kromion, Irish crem, Welsh craf, Old English hramsa, Lithuanian kremuse.

The usual Latin word was cepa, a loan from an unknown language; it is the source of Old French cive, Old English cipe, and, via Late Latin diminutive cepulla, Italian cipolla, Spanish cebolla, Polish cebula. German Zwiebel also is from this source, but altered by folk etymology in Old High German (zwibolla) from words for "two" and "ball." Onion ring is attested from 1952.

Onion dome attested from 1956; onion grass from 1883; onion skin as a type of paper from 1892. Onions, the surname, is attested from mid-12c. (Ennian), from Old Welsh Enniaun, ultimately from Latin Annianus, which was associated with Welsh einion "anvil."

Idioms and Phrases with onions

onion

see know one's stuff (onions).