allium

noun

al·​li·​um ˈa-lē-əm How to pronounce allium (audio)
plural alliums
: any of a large genus (Allium) of bulbous herbs of the amaryllis family that includes the onion, garlic, chive, and leek

Examples of allium in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Tahira Ehsan does about half the prep and cooking — hand grinding the spices, sweating down the alliums and mashing them into an onion paste — at her home. Travis M. Andrews, Washington Post, 12 Mar. 2024 There’s also one important caveat: Michelle’s husband has an intolerance to alliums like garlic, onion, and shallots, which form the base of flavor in many French dishes. The Bon Appétit Staff & Contributors, Bon Appétit, 29 Feb. 2024 Try tucking in chives and other alliums for spear-like spring blooms or rosemary and woolly thyme for attractive, drought-tolerant ground covers. Kristin Guy, Sunset Magazine, 6 Feb. 2024 Earlier this year, after Ms. Liang got married to the architect Dorian Booth, fans analyzed her wedding details, including her bouquet — a single white allium tied with a black bow — and the schoolgirl outfits worn by waitstaff, on social media and in newsletters. Jessica Testa, New York Times, 9 Aug. 2023 The typical soup comes together with chicken broth, chicken meat, and a smattering of savory vegetables and alliums like carrots, garlic, onions, and celery. Sarah Garone, Health, 10 Jan. 2024 The point is to use aromatic ingredients that will create a foundation of flavor for your dish, and root vegetables and alliums are all good candidates. Jessica Harlan, Southern Living, 26 Dec. 2023 Based in the leafy middle-class neighborhood of Viaducto Piedad — today, the heart of Mexico’s small community of first-generation Chinese immigrants — El Paisa serves an unusually subtle version, its flavor dominated by sweet alliums that caramelize slowly as the day wears on. Jorge Valencia Mariano Fernandez, New York Times, 14 Nov. 2023 How to make creamy soups without adding dairy Triple Garlic Bread Last, but certainly not least, no garlic recipe list would be complete without garlic bread, and this version includes the allium in three different forms — roasted, fresh and powder. Aaron Hutcherson, Washington Post, 30 Oct. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'allium.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from New Latin, genus name, going back to Latin ālium, allium "garlic," of uncertain origin

Note: Compared with Latin āla "wing," if the cloves of a garlic head are comparable to wings, though neither the derivational relationship nor the analogy are more than speculative.

First Known Use

1600, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of allium was in 1600

Dictionary Entries Near allium

Cite this Entry

“Allium.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/allium. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Medical Definition

allium

noun
al·​li·​um ˈal-ē-əm How to pronounce allium (audio)
1
Allium : a genus of bulbous herbs (as an onion, garlic, or leek) of the amaryllis family distinguished by a characteristic odor, sheathing, mostly basal leaves, and clusters of usually white, blue, purple, pink, or red flowers
2
a
: a plant of the genus Allium
b
: the bulb of garlic formerly used in medicine especially as an expectorant and rubefacient
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