Meanings
plural buckyonions
- chemistryA concentric multishell fullerene structure.
Detections of C60 and C70 fullerenes in planetary nebulae (PNe) of the Magellanic Clouds and of our own Galaxy have raised the idea that other forms of carbon such as hydrogenated fullerenes (fulleranes like C60H36 and C60H18), buckyonions, and carbon nanotubes, may be widespread in the Universe.
2016, J. J. Díaz-Luis, D. A. García-Hernández, A. Manchado, F. Cataldo, “A search for hydrogenated fullerenes in fullerene-containing planetary nebulae”, in arXiv
Origin
Blend of buck(minsterfullerene) + -y + onion, modelled on earlier buckyball, with reference to the concentric layers of an onion.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
buckyonion. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/buckyonion
“buckyonion.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/buckyonion. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “buckyonion,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/buckyonion.
Source: buckyonion on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.