Word Study
ginger
CIDE DICTIONARY
ginger, n. [OE. ginger, gingever, gingivere, OF. gengibre, gingimbre, F. gingembre, L. zingiber, zingiberi, fr. Gr. ; of Oriental origin; cf. Ar. & Pers. zenjebīl, fr. Skr. , prop., hornshaped; ga horn + vëra body.].
- A plant of the genus
Zingiber , of the East and West Indies. The species most known isZingiber officinale . [1913 Webster] - The hot and spicy rootstock of
Zingiber officinale , which is much used in cookery and in medicine. [1913 Webster]
OXFORD DICTIONARY
ginger, n., adj., & v.
--n.
1 a a hot spicy root usu. powdered for use in cooking, or preserved in syrup, or candied. b the plant, Zingiber officinale, of SE Asia, having this root.
2 a light reddish-yellow colour.
3 spirit, mettle.
4 stimulation.
--adj. of a ginger colour.
--v.tr.
1 flavour with ginger.
2 (foll. by up) rouse or enliven.
--n.
1 a a hot spicy root usu. powdered for use in cooking, or preserved in syrup, or candied. b the plant, Zingiber officinale, of SE Asia, having this root.
2 a light reddish-yellow colour.
3 spirit, mettle.
4 stimulation.
--adj. of a ginger colour.
--v.tr.
1 flavour with ginger.
2 (foll. by up) rouse or enliven.
Idiom
black ginger unscraped ginger. ginger ale an effervescent non-alcoholic clear drink flavoured with ginger extract. ginger beer an effervescent mildly alcoholic cloudy drink, made by fermenting a mixture of ginger and syrup. ginger group Brit. a group within a party or movement that presses for stronger or more radical policy or action. ginger-nut a ginger-flavoured biscuit. ginger-pop colloq. = ginger ale. ginger-snap a thin brittle biscuit flavoured with ginger. ginger wine a drink of fermented sugar, water, and bruised ginger.
Derivative
gingery adj.
Etymology
ME f. OE gingiber & OF gingi(m)bre, both f. med.L gingiber ult. f. Skr. srngaveram f. srngam horn + -vera body, with ref. to the antler-shape of the root
THESAURUS
ginger
aggressiveness, bang, bite, briskness, dash, drive, enterprise, fire, get-up-and-go, guts, hotness, initiative, kick, liveliness, nip, nippiness, pep, pepper, pepperiness, piss and vinegar, pizzazz, poop, punch, push, raciness, relish, snap, snappiness, spice, spiciness, spunk, starch, tang, tanginess, thrust, verve, vim, zest, zestfulness, zing, zipROGET THESAURUS
ginger
Condiment
N condiment, seasoning, sauce, spice, relish, appetizer, salt, mustard, grey poupon mustard, pepper, black pepper, white pepper, peppercorn, curry, sauce piquante, caviare, onion, garlic, pickle, achar, allspice, bell pepper, Jamaica pepper, green pepper, chutney, cubeb, pimento, capsicum, red pepper, chili peppers, cayenne, nutmeg, mace, cinnamon, oregano, cloves, fennel, pot herbs, parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme, bay leaves, marjoram, frankincense, balm, myrrh, paprika, saffron, ginger, turmeric.For further exploring for "ginger" in Webster Dictionary Online
