The term onion has a rich history dating back to the 1350s, with various spellings such as unniun, huniun, oignon, oinon, and oynun. It is believed to have originated from Anglo-French, derived from the Old French word oignon, which referred to the vegetable. The Old French term oignon can be traced back to the colloquial Latin word unio, meaning “united” (from unus, from Proto-Indo-European oynos, “one”). According to Roman writer Columella, peasants named it unio because it lacked shoots and was considered a singular entity. This term, which also had connotations of “pearl,” was used informally in place of the standard Latin word cepa, leading to the development of Romance language names like Italian cipolla and Spanish cebolla.
