I. ˈənyən, dial ˈiŋə(r)n noun
( -s )
Usage: often attributive
Etymology: Middle English onion, union, from Middle French oignon, from Latin union-, unio, perhaps from unus one — more at one
1.
a.
(1) : a widely cultivated originally Asiatic plant ( Allium cepa ) that has slender hollow tubular leaves and an edible rounded bulb made up of close concentric easily separable layers, that has a notably strong sharp smell and taste, and that is widely used as a vegetable
(2) : the bulb of this plant
b. : any plant of the genus Allium including several that are cultivated for their showy heads of flowers
2. obsolete : a rounded knob or similar projection ; especially : bunion
•
- off one's onion
II. transitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
: to apply an onion to