tree onion
- noun
- /tri ˈɒnjən/
:
cebolla de árbol
- Unlike regular onions, the tree onion produces small bulbs where flowers would normally form.
Examples
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Some gardeners enjoy growing tree onions for their unusual clusters of bulbils perched atop tall stalks.
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She added finely chopped tree onion bulbils to her salad for a unique flavor.
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The tree onion is a unique plant.
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I love the taste of tree onions in salads.
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She added finely chopped tree onion bulbils to her salad for a unique flavor.
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Some gardeners enjoy growing tree onions for their unusual clusters of bulbils perched atop tall stalks.
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Unlike regular onions, the tree onion produces small bulbs where flowers would normally form.
Synonyms
A kind of onion that makes little bulbs on top of its stem and spreads by them
An onion that lives for many years and makes small bulbs on its stalks for salads
A plant that makes small bulbs at the top instead of flowers and gives young shoots for salads
Surface Forms
Morphology
The compound 'tree onion' is compositionally transparent: a B1 learner who knows 'tree' and 'onion' can infer it denotes a kind of onion associated with a tree-like or plant growth habit (i.e., a type/variety of onion). This is a straightforward noun+noun subtype formation rather than an idiom or metaphor, so the meaning is predictable from the constituents.
Etymology
The plant tree onion gets its name from the way it grows small round onion 'bulbs' at the top of a tall stalk, looking like a tiny tree of onions. So the name helps you remember that it is 'an onion that makes little bulbs' often used fresh in salads.
