Cebolla
/seˈβo.ʝa/noun
The Spanish word for onion, the edible bulb of a plant in the genus Allium.
Did you know?Cebolla descends from Latin cepulla, a diminutive of cepa meaning “onion,” while English chive traces back to the same Latin word through French.
Etymological Timeline
Classical Latin
Latin
cepa
“Onion; the bulbous plant used as food”
Late Latin
Latin
cepulla
“Little onion; diminutive form of cepa”
Medieval Latin
Latin
cebola
“Onion, an evolved spelling and pronunciation of cepulla”
Old Spanish
Old Spanish
çebolla
“Onion”
15th–16th Century
Spanish
cebolla
“Onion; the modern spelling became established”
Modern Spanish
Spanish
cebolla
“Onion”
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