https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Onion Its ancestral wild original form is not known, although escapes from cultivation have become established in some regions. The onion has been grown and selectively bred in cultivation for at least 7,000 years. The history of ancestral onion species is not well documented. Ancient records of onion use spans western and eastern Asia, so the geographic origin of the onion is uncertain. Yet, domestication likely took place in West or Central Asia. Onions have been variously described as having originated in Iran, western Pakistan and Central Asia. The onion is most frequently a biennial or a perennial plant, but is usually treated as an annual and harvested in its first growing season.
Žodis svogūnas, kaip manoma, yra tiurkų kilmės; plg. turkų, azerbaidžaniečių soğan, baškirų Һуған, balkarų sohan ir kt. Tačiau šis žodis greičiausiai peteko ne tiesiai iš tiurkų, o per finougrus – pvz., Permės komių sugon’. Seniau taip pat vartotas (tarmėse tebevartojamas) žodis cibulis yra kilęs iš lotynų cepa ir patekęs per vakarų slavų kalbas.
