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Added 9 October 2026

onion

/ˈʌnjən/ noun

In Latin: caepa, cēpa Wiktionary

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about onion at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

The bulb of an onion plant.
Bulbous plant having hollow leaves cultivated worldwide for its rounded edible bulb.
An aromatic flavorful vegetable.

Origin

From Middle English onyoun, oynoun, from Old French oignon, from Latin ūniōnem, accusative of ūniō (“onion”), which had also been borrowed into Old English as yne, ynnelēac (“onion”) (> Middle English hynne-leac, henne-leac). Displaced the inherited term ramsons. * (soy): Stems from a 4chan word filter which changes the word soy to onions. The word filter was implemented in relation to the "alpha onion eater" meme, which is depicted as the direct opposite of the soy boy.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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