¹ginger

noun gin·ger \ˈjin-jər\

: the strongly flavored root of a tropical plant that is used in cooking

: a spice made from ginger

: a light reddish or reddish-brown color

Full Definition of GINGER

a (1) : a thickened pungent aromatic rhizome that is used as a spice and sometimes medicinally (2) : the spice usually prepared by drying and grinding ginger

b : any of a genus (Zingiber of the family Zingiberaceae, the ginger family) of herbs with pungent aromatic rhizomes; especially : a widely cultivated tropical herb (Z. officinale) that supplies most commercial ginger — compare wild ginger

: pep <the ginger to … work hard — Willa Cather>

: a light reddish or reddish-brown color <ginger hair>

— gin·gery \ˈjinj-rē, ˈjin-jə-\ adjective

See ginger defined for English-language learners

See ginger defined for kids

Origin of GINGER

Middle English, alteration of Old English gingifer, from Medieval Latin gingiber, alteration of Latin zingiber, from Greek zingiberi, of Indo-Aryan origin; akin to Pali siṅgivēra ginger

First Known Use: before 12th century

Related to GINGER

Synonyms: beans, bounce, brio, dash, drive, dynamism, energy, esprit, gas, get-up-and-go, vigor, go, gusto, hardihood, juice, life, moxie, oomph, pep, punch, sap, snap, starch, verve, vim, vinegar, vitality, zing, zip

Antonyms: lethargy, listlessness, sluggishness, torpidity

Other Seed Plant Terms

aubergine, box, bramble, briar, composite, perpetual, pulse, trefoil

Rhymes with GINGER

binger, injure, singer, swinger

²ginger

verb

gin·geredgin·ger·ing \ˈjinj-riŋ, ˈjin-jə-\

Definition of GINGER

transitive verb

: to make lively : pep up <ginger up the tourist trade — New York Times>

See ginger defined for English-language learners

First Known Use of GINGER

1849

GINGER Defined for Kids

ginger

noun gin·ger \ˈjin-jər\

Definition of GINGER for Kids

: a hot spice obtained from the root of a tropical plant and used especially to season foods

Medical Dictionary

ginger

noun gin·ger \ˈjin-jər\

Medical Definition of GINGER

a : a thickened pungent aromatic rhizome that is used as a spice and sometimes in medicine b : the spice usually prepared by drying and grinding ginger

: any of a genus (Zingiber of the family Zingiberaceae, the ginger family) of herbs with pungent aromatic rhizomes; especially : a widely cultivated tropical herb (Z. officinale) that supplies most of the ginger of commerce