onion

onion
\ \ [14] The usual Old English word for ‘onion’ was cīpe (a borrowing from Latin cēpa, source also of English chives and chipolata), but it also had ynne. This came from Latin ūniō, a word of uncertain origin but possibly identical with ūniō (a derivative of ūnusone’) which denoted a ‘single large pearl’ (according to Julius Moderatus Columella, ūniō was a farmer’s term, and one can well imagine a proud onion-grower comparing his products with pearls). An alternative explanation, also based on a derivation from ūnus, is that the word is an allusion to the ‘unity’ formed by the layers of the onion. Ynne had died out by the Middle English period, and onion represents a reacquisition of the word via Anglo-Norman union.
\ \ Cf.ONE

Word origins - 2ed. . 2005.

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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 — (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… …   Etymology dictionary

  • 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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