oignon

French

Alternative forms

• ognon (post-1990 spelling)

Etymology

Inherited from Middle French oingnon, from Old French oignon, from Latin ūniōnem.

Pronunciation

• (France) IPA^(key): /ɔ.ɲɔ̃/, (proscribed but common) /wa.ɲɔ̃/

• Audio:

  (file)

  • (Provence) IPA^(key): /oˈɲɔᵑ/, /oˈɲɔŋ/
• (Canada) IPA^(key): /ɔɲõ/

Noun

oignon m (plural oignons)

1. onion (Allium cepa)
2. bulb (of a plant)
3. (in the plural, colloquial) one's own business

Derived terms

• aux petits oignons
• en rang d’oignon
• oignon vert
• se mêler de ses oignons, s’occuper de ses oignons (“mind one's own business”)

Descendants

• Saint Dominican Creole French: z'oignon
  • Haitian Creole: zonyon
• Seychellois Creole: zonyon

Further reading

• “oignon”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Old French

Alternative forms

hoinnon, hoynon, hoynoun, hoynun, hoynune, hunion, oignion, oignoun, oignun, oingnon, oingnun, oingoun, oinion, oiniun, oinoin, oinon, oinoun, oinum, oinun, oinunne, oissnion, ongnion, ongnon, ongnun, onion, onyon, oygnon, oygnoun, oygnun, oyngnoun, oyngon, oynnun, oynoin, oynon, oynoun, oynun, oynune, ugnon, ugnoun, ungeon, ungnun, union, unioun, uniun, unniun, unon

Etymology

Inherited from Latin ūniōnem.

Pronunciation

• (classical) IPA^(key): /uˈɲun/

Noun

oignon oblique singular, m (oblique plural oignons, nominative singular oignons, nominative plural oignon)

1. onion (Allium cepa)

Descendants

• Angevin: ognon, ugnon
• ⇒ Bourbonnais-Berrichon: ognounet
• Bourguignon: ougnion
• Champenois: ègnon, ognon, ongnon, ougnon
• Franc-Comtois: agnon, ègnon, onon, ognon, ougnon, ounon

  Jurassien Franc-Comtois: oégnon, ouégnon, ouignon

• Middle French: oingnon
  • French: oignon, ognon (post-1990 spelling)
    • Saint Dominican Creole French: z'oignon
      • Haitian Creole: zonyon
    • Seychellois Creole: zonyon
• Gallo: ongnon
• Lorrain: ougnan

  Vosgien: ègnon, èyon

• Norman: ougnoun, ouongnon
• Picard: ongnon
• Poitevin-Saintongeais: egnun, ignun, ougnun
• Walloon: agnon
• → Middle Breton: oingnon
  • Breton: ognon
• → Middle Dutch: ayuun, ejuun, oinjun
  • Dutch: ajuin (see there for further descendants)
• → Middle Dutch: uyen
  • Dutch: ui (see there for further descendants)
  • Limburgish: ooj, un
• → Middle English: onyoun
  • English: onion (see there for further descendants)
• →? Middle Irish: uinniún
  • Irish: oinniún
• → Welsh: wynwyn

References

• “oignon”, in DEAF: Dictionnaire Étymologique de l'Ancien Français, Heidelberg: Heidelberger Akademie der Wissenschaften, 1968-.
• oignon on the Anglo-Norman On-Line Hub