Onion

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈʌnjÉ™n/
• Rhymes: -ÊŒnjÉ™n

Origin

From Middle English onyon, union, oinyon, from Anglo-Norman union et al. and Old French oignon, from Latin ūniōnem, accusative of ūniō ("onion, large pearl"). Displaced the inherited term ramsons.

Full definition of onion

Noun

1. A monocotyledonous plant of genus Allium allied to garlic, used as vegetable and spice.
2. The bulb of such a plant.
3. (uncountable) The genus as a whole.
4. (obsolete baseball slang) A ball.
5. (colloquial, chiefly archaic) A person from Bermuda or of Bermudian descent.

Derived terms