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onion

Syllabification: (on·ion)
Pronunciation: /ˈənyən/

Translate onion | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish
Definition of onion

noun

  • 1an edible bulb with a pungent taste and smell, composed of several concentric layers, used in cooking.
  • 2the plant that produces the onion, with long rolled or straplike leaves and spherical heads of greenish-white flowers.
    • Allium cepa, family Liliaceae (or Alliaceae)

Phrases

know one's onions

informal be very knowledgeable about something.

Derivatives

oniony

adjective

Origin:

Middle English: from Old French oignon, based on Latin unio(n-), denoting a kind of onion

onion in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of onion in the British & World English dictionary

Nearby words

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