First Known Use: before 12th century
Dictionary
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
1
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
2
: pep <the ginger to … work hard — Willa Cather>
3
: a light reddish or reddish-brown color <ginger hair>
— gin·gery \ˈjinj-rē, ˈjin-jə-\ adjective
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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
Related to GINGER
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
GINGERING 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
1
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
2
: 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
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