onion

onion
onion (n.) early 12c., from Anglo-Fr. union, O.Fr. oignon (formerly also oingnon), from L. unionem (nom. unio), colloquial rustic Roman for "a kind of onion," also "pearl" (via notion of a string of onions), lit. "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 Ir. 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 Gk. kromion, Ir. crem, Welsh craf, O.E. hramsa, Lith. kremuse. The usual Latin word was cepa, a loan from an unknown language; Cf. O.Fr. cive, O.E. cipe, and, via L.L. dim. cepulla, It. cipolla, Sp. cebolla, Pol. cebula. Ger. 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.
Onions, the surname, is attested from mid-12c. (Ennian), from Old Wesh Enniaun, ultimately from L. Annianus, which was associated with Welsh einion "anvil."

Etymology dictionary. 2014.

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  • ONION — (Heb. בָּצָל), the Allium cepa, one of the earliest cultivated plants. It is mentioned only once in the Bible as one of the vegetables eaten in Egypt for which the Israelites longed when they were in the wilderness (Num. 11:5). Onion growing was… …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • Onion — On ion, n. [F. ognon, fr. L. unio oneness, unity, a single large pearl, an onion. See {One}, {Union}.] 1. (Bot.) A liliaceous plant of the genus {Allium} ({Allium cepa}), having a strong flavored bulb and long hollow leaves; also, its bulbous… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • .onion — Введение 2004 Тип домена псевдо домен верхнего уровня Статус действующий Регистратор Tor Назначение Обеспечение доступа к анонимным сервисам сети Tor …   Википедия

  • onion — [un′yən] n. [ME oynon < OFr oignon < L unio (gen. unionis), oneness, unity, also a kind of single onion: see UNION] 1. a plant (Allium cepa) of the lily family, having an edible bulb with a strong, sharp smell and taste 2. the bulb of this… …   English World dictionary

  • onion — см. Приложение 1 (Allium). (Источник: «Англо русский толковый словарь генетических терминов». Арефьев В.А., Лисовенко Л.А., Москва: Изд во ВНИРО, 1995 г.) …   Молекулярная биология и генетика. Толковый словарь.

  • onion — onion. См. луки. (Источник: «Англо русский толковый словарь генетических терминов». Арефьев В.А., Лисовенко Л.А., Москва: Изд во ВНИРО, 1995 г.) …   Молекулярная биология и генетика. Толковый словарь.

  • onion — ► NOUN ▪ an edible bulb used as a vegetable, having a pungent taste and smell and composed of several concentric layers. ● know one s onions Cf. ↑know one s onions DERIVATIVES oniony adjective. ORIGIN Old French oignon, from Latin unio …   English terms dictionary

  • Onion — Onions redirects here. For the name and those bearing it, see Onions (surname). This article is about the plants. For other uses, see Onion (disambiguation). Onion Onions Scientific classification …   Wikipedia

  • onion — onionlike, adj. oniony, adj. /un yeuhn/, n. 1. a plant, Allium cepa, of the amaryllis family, having an edible, succulent, pungent bulb. 2. any of certain similar plants. 3. the bulb of the onion plant. 4. the flavor or odor of this bulb. 5.… …   Universalium

  • .onion — Infobox Top level domain name=.onion background=#ADFF2F introduced=2004 type=Pseudo domain style host suffix status=Not in root, but used by Tor clients, servers, and proxies registry=Tor sponsor= intendeduse=To designate a hidden service… …   Wikipedia

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