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Glite Dictionary
top onion

top onion

9.0
A plant that makes small bulbs at the top instead of flowers and gives young shoots for salads
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : cebolla de bulbo
  • Unlike regular onions, the top onion produces bulbils instead of flowers.

Examples

  • You can use the young shoots of the top onion in salads for a mild flavor.

  • The gardener planted several top onions for their unusual appearance and early harvest.

  • I bought a fresh top onion at the market.

  • The top onions are great for salads.

  • The gardener planted several top onions for their unusual appearance and early harvest.

  • You can use the young shoots of the top onion in salads for a mild flavor.

  • Unlike regular onions, the top onion produces bulbils instead of flowers.

Synonyms

Allium cepa viviparum
vstop onion
  • Specialized
9.9

An onion that lives for many years and makes small bulbs on its stalks for salads

is the common novelty variety used for early salad and featuring bulbils
tree onion
vstop onion
8.9

A plant that makes small bulbs on top of its stem used in salads

is the general novelty form used early in salads rather than other onions
Egyptian onion
vstop onion
7.2

A kind of onion that makes little bulbs on top of its stem and spreads by them

is the same novelty form but also called by other regional names

Surface Forms

top onion singular
top onions plural

Morphology

top + onion

The compound is directly built from 'top' + 'onion' and denotes a type/variety of onion characterized by a feature at the top of the stem; a learner who knows 'top' and 'onion' will infer it refers to an onion related to its top. Although the precise botanical detail (bulbils replacing flowers) is specialized, the basic meaning 'a kind of onion' is compositionally clear to a B1 learner.

Etymology

Top onion is named for the tiny, onion-like bulbs that grow on the very top of its stem instead of flowers. These little 'tops' look and taste like small onions and can be eaten or planted, so the name explains the plant's unusual look and use.