shallot

American  

[shal-uht, shuh-lot] / ˈʃæl ət, ʃəˈlɒt /

noun

• shallots
  plural

1. a cultivar of the onion, Allium cepa aggregatum, having a divided bulb used for flavoring in cooking.

2. the bulb of onion cultivar Allium cepa aggregatum, used in cooking.

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shallot British  

/ ʃəˈlɒt /

noun

1. Also called: scallion.  an alliaceous plant, Allium ascalonicum, cultivated for its edible bulb

2. the bulb of this plant, which divides into small sections and is used in cooking for flavouring and as a vegetable

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• shallots
  plural

Etymology

Origin of shallot

First recorded in 1655–65; shortening of earlier eschalot, from French échalote, diminutive of Middle French eschaloigne scallion

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

shallot shallots

Another man had a shallot tattooed on his forearm, suggesting either a career behind the line or an allium devotion I could not hope to match.

From Salon ● Aug. 4, 2026

Add the shallot and cook, stirring, until light golden brown, about 2 minutes.

From Washington Times ● Dec. 22, 2023

Meanwhile, in a bowl toss the carrots, celery, shallot, thyme, dill sprigs and 1 teaspoon salt.

From Washington Times ● Dec. 21, 2023

In a double boiler, melt butter along with finely chopped white parts of green onion and shallot, if using.

From Salon ● Nov. 30, 2023

Six tomatoes, three ounces cooked white meat of any kind, one small shallot, one teaspoon chopped parsley, pepper and salt, two tablespoons bread crumbs, one egg.

From My Pet Recipes, Tried and True Contributed by the Ladies and Friends of St. Andrew's Church, Quebec by Various

Similarly decadent but less expensive are the two mini-hot dogs with caviar and pickled shallots sold for $39 at the Bar Room at the Modern, inside the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026

Indonesians eat a hot sauce known as sambal made of chilli, garlic, shallots and aromatics with just about every meal.

From Barron's ● Jun. 2, 2026

There’s a joke in the special that references a purple toothbrush, but, and then there’s also a reference to my aura based on the fact that I’m cooking with shallots.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 10, 2026

Top with crushed peanuts or fried shallots for crunch.

From Salon ● Apr. 3, 2026

I cooked them as Angelo had recommended, first in a dry frying pan to sweat out their water, and then with butter and shallots.

From "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan