Onions

[ uhn-yuh nz ]

/ ˈʌn yənz /

noun

Charles Tal·but

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

onion

[ uhn-yuh n ]

/ ˈʌn yən /

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.

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

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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST

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|DAILY BEAST
Cut the fish into large pieces, and lay part of it on the pork and onions.
Directions for Cookery, in its Various Branches|Eliza Leslie
Put back the rings of onions into this, and let them simmer gently.
Cassell's Vegetarian Cookery|A. G. Payne
Other products are sesame, cotton, cucumbers, water-melons and onions.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 7, Slice 9|Various
The flat but narrow leaves of Jonquils, Daffodils, and the cylindrical leaf of Onions are other instances.
The Elements of Botany|Asa Gray
Potatoes were not as yet cultivated in New England, onions were not generally, and tomatoes were looked upon as poisonous.
The Two Hundredth Anniversary of the Settlement of the Town of New Milford, Conn. June 17th, 1907|Daniel Davenport

British Dictionary definitions for onions (1 of 2)

Onions

/ (ˈʌnjənz) /

noun

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

British Dictionary definitions for onions (2 of 2)

onion

/ (ˈʌnjən) /

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).

Onions

noun

RELATED CONTENT

Definition for onions (2 of 2)

onion

noun

adjective

Origin of onion

Examples from the Web for onions

British Dictionary definitions for onions (1 of 2)

Onions

noun

British Dictionary definitions for onions (2 of 2)

onion

noun

Word Origin for onion

Word Origin and History for onions

onion

Idioms and Phrases with onions

onion