See Also: onion(2)(dictionary)
onion(dictionary)
onion(medicine)
sea onion(medicine)
onion(1)(dictionary)
onion(encyclopedia)
Onion Bhaji(recipes)
onion bodies(medicine)
Chicken and onion pie(recipes)
Onion Marmalade(recipes)

onion(1) (iou)



onion noun. ME.
[Anglo-Norman union, Old & mod. French oignon, from Proto-Gallo-Romance alt. of Latin unio(n)- kind of onion.]
A plant, Allium cepa, of the lily family, cultivated for its edible bulb; this bulb which has a strong pungent flavour and smell and consists of fleshy concentric leaf-bases, eaten raw, cooked, or pickled. ME.
Egyptian onion, pearl onion, potato onion, spanish onion, spring onion, top onion, tree onion, Welsh onion, etc.
b. With specifying word: any of various mainly bulbous plants of other genera. LME.
bog onion any of several plants with onion-like roots, esp. the royal fern, Osmunda regalis. dog's onion the star of Bethlehem, Ornithogalum umbellatum. sea onion (a) the squill, Drimia maritima; (b) dial. spring squill, Scilla verna.
A pearl. Cf. UNION noun1. ME-M18.
A bunion. L18-M19.
A seal worn on a watch-chain. slang. E19.
Nautical. A fraction of the speed of one knot. E20.
Phrases: know one's onions be experienced in or knowledgeable about something. off one's onion colloq. crazy.
Comb.: onion-couch a tuberous form of false oat, Arrhenatherum elatius, occurring as a cornfield weed etc.; onion dome a bulbous dome on a church, palace, etc.; onion-eyed adjective (rare) having eyes full of tears, as if from the effect of raw onions; onion-fly a dipteran fly, Delia antiqua, the larva of which is very destructive to onions; onion-grass = onion-couch above; onion-maggot the larva of the onion-fly; onion set a small onion bulb planted instead of seed to yield a mature bulb; onion-skin (a) the outermost or any outer coat of an onion; (b) very fine smooth translucent paper; onion-twitch = onion-couch above.
onion-like adjective resembling (that of) an onion M20.
oniony adjective flavoured with onions; tasting or smelling of onions: M19.