Where does “onionskin” come from?

onionskin (English) comes from English onion, from Middle English onyoun, from Old French oignon, from Latin ūniō, from Latin -iō, from Proto-West Germanic -jō, from Proto-Indo-European -yéti, from Proto-Indo-European yé- — he, she.

onionskin (English): A thin, strong, light, translucent paper; used...

Definitions

  1. A thin, strong, light, translucent paper; used...

Ancestry of “onionskin”, step by step

onionskin traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English onion

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishonionA monocotyledonous plant (Allium cepa), allied to garlic, used as vegetable and spice
2Middle EnglishonyounThe onion plant
3Old Frenchoignononion
4Latinūniōa unity, union
5Latin-iō
6Proto-West Germanic-jōForms agent nouns from verbs
7Proto-Indo-European-yétiCreates intransitive, often deponent,...
8Proto-Indo-Europeanyé-
9Chichewaiyehe, she

via English Skin

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishSkinThe outer protective layer of the body of any animal, including of a human
2Middle EnglishskynThe skin; A layer or cover located in the inside...
Every word from Chichewa iyeEvery word from Proto-Indo-European -yétiEvery word from Latin -iō