Princeton's WordNet(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. onion(noun)

   the bulb of an onion plant

2. onion, onion plant, Allium cepa(noun)

   bulbous plant having hollow leaves cultivated worldwide for its rounded edible bulb

3. onion(noun)

   an aromatic flavorful vegetable

GCIDE(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Onion(n.)

   The flavor of an onion.

Origin: [F. ognon, fr. L. unio oneness, unity, a single large pearl, an onion. See One, Union.]

Wiktionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. onion(Noun)

   A monocotyledonous plant of genus Allium allied to garlic, used as vegetable and spice.

2. onion(Noun)

   The bulb of such a plant.

3. onion(Noun)

   The genus as a whole.

4. onion(Noun)

   A ball.

5. onion(Noun)

   A person from Bermuda or of Bermudian descent.

Freebase(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Onion

   The onion, also known as the bulb onion or common onion, is used as a vegetable and is the most widely cultivated species of the genus Allium. This genus also contains several other species variously referred to as onions and cultivated for food, such as the Japanese bunching onion, Egyptian onion, and Canada onion. The name "wild onion" is applied to a number of Allium species but A. cepa is exclusively known from cultivation and its wild original form is not known. The onion is most frequently a biennial or a perennial plant, but is usually treated as an annual and harvested in its first growing season. The onion plant has a fan of hollow, bluish-green leaves and the bulb at the base of the plant begins to swell when a certain day-length is reached. In the autumn the foliage dies down and the outer layers of the bulb become dry and brittle. The crop is harvested and dried and the onions are ready for use or storage. The crop is prone to attack by a number of pests and diseases, particularly the onion fly, the onion eelworm and various fungi that cause rotting. Some varieties of A. cepa such as shallots and potato onions produce multiple bulbs.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Onion

   un′yun, n. the name given to a few species of genus Allium, esp. Allium cepa, an edible biennial bulbous root.—adj. On′ion-eyed (Shak.), having the eyes full of tears.—n. On′ion-skin, a very thin variety of paper.—adj. On′iony. [Fr. oignon—L. unio, -onis—unus, one.]

The Foolish Dictionary, by Gideon Wurdz(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. ONION

   The all-round strength champion of the Vegetable Kingdom, garlic and cabbage being close rivals.

Suggested Resources(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. onion

   The onion symbol -- In this Symbols.com article you will learn about the meaning of the onion symbol and its characteristic.

British National Corpus

1. Nouns Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'onion' in Nouns Frequency: #2655

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of onion in Chaldean Numerology is: 7

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of onion in Pythagorean Numerology is: 4

Sample Sentences & Example Usage

1. French Proverb:

   Life is an onion and one peels it crying.

2. Unknown:

   Life is like an onion. You peel off one layer at a time and sometimes you weep.

3. Will Rogers:

   An onion can make people cry, but there has never been a vegetable invented to make them laugh.

4. Anuj Somany:

   The opinion of the people on any problem is like an onion because it brings often tears in eyes upon peeling it off but no solution.

5. Jay Hauck:

   Pro-ban supports would like to make it cut and dry, but it’s a very complicated issue, it’s an onion, and you have to peel away the layers.

Images & Illustrations of onion