[Middle English oynoun, unyon, from Anglo-Norman oignon, ongnon, from Vulgar Latin *uniō, uniōn-, variant of Latin ūniō, ūniōn- length of the initial u uncertain), perhaps from ūnus, one (in reference to the single compact bulb of the onion, as opposed to the multiple cloves of garlic); see oi-no in the Appendix of Indo-European roots, or perhaps akin to Sanskrit uṣnaḥ, onion, Pashto ū&zhookr;a;, garlic, and Hittite wašḫar, -wašḫan- in šuppiwašḫar, onion (šuppi-, pure).]