nodding onion

8.5

A wild North American plant with a small onion bulb and drooping white or pink flowers

noun
/ˈnɒdɪŋ ˈɒnjən/

: cebolla de nodos

The nodding onion produces delicate, drooping clusters of pinkish flowers in mid-summer.

Examples

Many pollinators are attracted to the nodding onion because of its abundant nectar.
She planted several nodding onions in her native wildflower garden.
Look at the nodding onion!
The nodding onion blooms beautifully in the spring.
The nodding onion produces delicate, drooping clusters of pinkish flowers in mid-summer.
She planted several nodding onions in her native wildflower garden.
Many pollinators are attracted to the nodding onion because of its abundant nectar.

Synonyms

wild onion

vsnodding onion

1 3.8

A wild plant like a small onion with edible bulbs and a strong smell

refers to a specific North American species with drooping white to rose colored blooms

nodding wild onion

vsnodding onion

8.6

A wild onion plant with drooping white to pink flowers

focuses on a single drooping flower head rather than clustered blooms

Allium cernuum

vsnodding onion

Specialized

9.9

A wild onion plant from North America with drooping white or pink flowers

is the common name used in everyday speech rather than a scientific label

rose leek

vsnodding onion

9.6

A plant that grows from a bulb with drooping pink flower clusters

shows a wider color range from white to rose rather than only pinkish tones

Surface Forms

nodding onion singular

nodding onions plural

Morphology

nodding + onion

The meaning is directly compositional: 'nodding' (drooping or bending down) modifies 'onion' (the plant), so a B1 learner who knows both words can infer an onion with drooping/pendant flowers. Although it names a specific species, the descriptive modifier follows normal English noun + adjective patterns and is cross-linguistically transparent.

Etymology

Nodding onion comes from the plant's flower heads that bend down like tiny heads nodding, and the word onion shows it is a real onion plant, so the name helps you picture an onion with drooping flowers.