*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of Union

(locomotive): Derived from the name of the only U.S. company to use that configuration.

3 source sectionsBrief source recordWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 3 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
name

The United States of America. · Those of the United States that did not secede at the time of the Civil War (of the United States of America). · The Soviet Union: the proper noun Union is the standard English translation of the proper noun Союз (Sojuz), and All-Union is the standard English translation of всесоюзный (vsesojuznyj). · Alternative form of union.

noun

The 0-10-2 locomotive wheel arrangement. · The canton of the United States flag: the portion of the flag containing stars on a blue background.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

(locomotive): Derived from the name of the only U.S. company to use that configuration.

This page abbreviates 35 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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    }
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  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "name",
      "glosses": [
        "The United States of America.",
        "Those of the United States that did not secede at the time of the Civil War (of the United States of America).",
        "The Soviet Union: the proper noun Union is the standard English translation of the proper noun Союз (Sojuz), and All-Union is the standard English translation of всесоюзный (vsesojuznyj).",
        "Alternative form of union."
      ],
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    },
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        "The canton of the United States flag: the portion of the flag containing stars on a blue background."
      ],
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    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
name

A surname.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Probably a variant spelling of Onion.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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  "links": [
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    ]
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  "references": [],
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}

Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗
name

The Oxford Union (a debating society); not to be conflated with Oxford University Student Union (a students' union).

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Clipping of Oxford Union.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for Union →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-VW5pb24