English Explanatory Dictionary

ginger

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. The pungent aromatic rhizome of a tropical Asian herb, Zingiber officinale, used as a spice and as a stimulant and acarminative.
  2. The plant that produces this rhizome.
  3. Other species belonging to the same family, Zingiberaceae, especially those of the genus Zingiber
  4. A reddish-brown color.
  5. A person with reddish hair; a redhead.
  6. Vitality, vigour, liveliness (of character).
  7. Ginger ale, or can or bottle of such (especially if dry).
  8. Any fizzy soft drink, or can or bottle of such; pop; soda.
adj
  1. Of a reddish-brown color.
  2. Having hair or fur of this color.
verb
  1. To add ginger to.
  2. To enliven, to spice (up).
  3. To apply ginger to the anus of a horse to encourage it to carry its tail high and move in a lively fashion.
  4. To inspire (someone); to give a little boost to.
adj
  1. Very careful or cautious; also, delicate, sensitive.
adv
  1. In a very careful or cautious manner; also, delicately, sensitively.
verb
  1. To move gingerly, in a very careful and cautious manner.
noun
  1. A homosexual.
adj
  1. Homosexual.
name
  1. A female given name from English and nickname. Popularized by actress Ginger Rogers
  2. A male nickname.
  3. A given name for animals having ginger- or orange-coloured fur or feathers.

Pronunciation

/ˈdʒɪndʒə/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-ginger.wav /ˈd͡ʒɪnd͡ʒɚ/

Word forms

ginger gingers more ginger gingerer most ginger gingerest gingering gingered

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English gingere, alteration of gingivere, from Old English gingifer, gingiber (influenced by Old French gingembre), from Medieval Latin gingiber, zingiber, from Latin zingiberi, from Late Ancient Greek ζιγγίβερις (zingíberis), from Sauraseni Prakrit 𑀲𑀺𑀁𑀕𑀺𑀯𑁂𑀭 (siṃgivera), ultimately from Old Tamil 𑀇𑀜𑁆𑀘𑀺𑀯𑁂𑀭𑁆 (iñcivēr), a compound of 𑀇𑀜𑁆𑀘𑀺 (iñci, “ginger”) and 𑀯𑁂𑀭𑁆 (vēr, “root”) (compare modern Tamil இஞ்சிவேர் (iñcivēr), from இஞ்சி (iñci, “ginger”) + வேர் (vēr, “root”)).

Synonyms

gingerish gingerly

Related words

galangal feague parkin redhead shandy shandygaff turmeric gingerliness gingerly

Derived words

African ginger aromatic ginger baby ginger black ginger bleached ginger blue ginger butterfly ginger by ginger Canada ginger Chinese ginger Cochin ginger common ginger crêpe ginger dry ginger Egyptian ginger gingerade ginger ale ginger beer gingerbread ginger bug ginger cordial gingerette ginger grass ginger group ginger-hackled Ginger Island gingerism gingerita ginger knob gingerlike ginger lily ginger minger gingermint ginger ninja ginger nut gingernut gingerol gingerous gingerphobe gingerphobia ginger pop ginger-pop ginger root ginger snap gingersnap gingersome ginger talk gingertini ginger wine gingery gingette green ginger Indian ginger Jamaica ginger Japanese ginger kahili ginger knock down ginger knock-knock ginger limed ginger mango ginger
This entry uses open data from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA/GFDL). Word forms are used for search and are not indexed as separate pages.
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