Ma'anar ƙamus na kalmar "allium" tana nufin jinsin tsire-tsire masu tsire-tsire masu tsire-tsire a cikin dangin amaryllis ( Amaryllidaceae ), wanda ya haɗa da albasa, tafarnuwa, leek, chives, da sauran tsire-tsire masu dangantaka. Kalmar "allium" ta fito ne daga kalmar Latin ta tafarnuwa, "allium", wanda kuma shine sunan daya daga cikin tsire-tsire da aka fi girma a cikin jinsin. Alliums an san su da ƙamshi da ƙamshi na musamman, kuma ana amfani da su sosai wajen dafa abinci, da magunguna, da magungunan gargajiya.