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Definition: onion from Collins English Dictionary

n

1 an alliaceous plant, Allium cepa, having greenish-white flowers: cultivated for its rounded edible bulb

2 the bulb of this plant, consisting of concentric layers of white succulent leaf bases with a pungent odour and taste

3 any of several related plants similar to A. cepa, such as A. fistulosum (Welsh onion)

4 know one's onions Brit slang to be fully acquainted with a subject

[C14: via Anglo-Norman from Old French oignon, from Latin unio onion, related to union]

› ˈoniony adj


onion

From The Columbia Encyclopedia
plant of the family Liliaceae ( lily family), of the same genus ( Allium ) as the chive ( A. schoenoprasum ), garlic ( A. sativum ), leek ( A. porrum ), and shallot ( A. ascalonium ). These plants are characterized by an edible bulb composed of food-storage leaves that are rich in sugar and a pungent oil, the source of its strong taste. The above-ground green leaves, typically long and tubular, are also eaten. All these species are believed to be native to SW Asia and are known to have been cultivated since ancient times. The onion ( A. cepa ), no longer found wild, is a biennial now grown in many varieties throughout the world as a table vegetable. Common varieties include the strong-flavored red onion, the milder yellow onion, and the bland white onion. Pearl onions are small white onions used for pickling. The large Spanish and Bermuda onions have a delicate flavor. The onion was grown extensively by the ancient Egyptians, in whose writings it is mentioned, and was later spread by…
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Full text Article onion

From Word Origins
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 ūnus ‘one’) which denoted a ‘single large…
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Full text Article onion

From The Deluxe Food Lover's Companion
onion
Related to the lily, this underground bulb is prized around the world for the magic it makes in a multitude of dishes with its pungent flavor and odor. There are two main classifications of onion— green onions (also called SCALLIONS ) and dry onions , which are simply mature onions with a juicy…
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Full text Article ONION

From Encyclopedia of American Food and Drink
Any of a variety of pungent vegetables in the genus Allium , having a white, yellow, or red bulbous head. The word is from dialectical Latin uniō , which in Middle English became unyon. Grown and eaten around the world, onions are a universal seasoning. Under the term “onion” fall garlic , leek , …
| 347 words
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Full text Article onion

From Library of Health and Living: The Encyclopedia of Nutrition and Good Health
Onion Source: Getty Images.
A vegetable with an underground bulb closely related to garlic and leeks, belonging to the lily family. Onions apparently originated in prehistoric central Asia, and were grown in ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome, as well as China. There are more than 500 varieties; all of the edible species possess…
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Full text Article onion

From The Oxford Companion to Food
used both as a general term, applying to many members of the extensive genus Allium , and as a specific one referring to regular round (globe) onions of the species Allium cepa . The box shows what other entries there are, and how the botanical species relate to common names. Of the names shown in…
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Full text Article onion

From The Columbia Encyclopedia
plant of the family Liliaceae ( lily family), of the same genus ( Allium ) as the chive ( A. schoenoprasum ), garlic ( A. sativum ), leek ( A. porrum ), and shallot ( A. ascalonium ). These plants are characterized by an edible bulb composed of food-storage leaves that are rich in sugar and a…
| 487 words
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Full text Article spring onions

From The Oxford Companion to Food
are known as ‘green onions’ in the USA, and also as ‘salad onions’ or ‘scallions’. The last name is not exclusive, for it is also applied to the individual bulbs of aggregate onions such as shallots , and sometimes even to leeks . Most of the spring onions grown in the West are simply immature…
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Full text Article welsh onion

From The Deluxe Food Lover's Companion
Despite the misleading name, welsh onions originated in China or Siberia, not Wales. They are also called bunching onions, Japanese bunching onions , and Japanese leeks along with broadly used names like green onion , SCALLION , and spring onion. This onion variety is more popular in Asia than the…
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Full text Article oriental onions

From The Oxford Companion to Food
Allium fistulosum
used in China, Japan, and to some extent in SE Asia, are mostly varieties of Allium fistulosum : the species name means ‘tubular’. These onions never form bulbs; instead, there is a cluster of thickened stem bases like a closely packed bunch of spring onions, which they resemble when young in both…
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Full text Article Onion: Allium cepa

From Encyclopedia of Herbs and Spices
Onion: Allium cepa
Taxonomy Name currently accepted: Allium cepa Authority: Linn. Taxonomic serial no.: 42720 ( ITIS, 2016 ) Synonyms: Allium cepa var. aggregatum G. Don, Allium cepa var. anglicum Alef., Allium cepa var. argenteum Alef., Allium cepa var. bifolium Alef., Allium cepa var. crinides Alef., Allium cepa…
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