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Ginger

//ˈd͡ʒɪnd͡ʒɚ// adj, adv, name, noun, verb, slang

Definitions

Adjective
  1. 1
    Of a reddish-brown color.

    "My eyes track upwards past the shoes to a pair of skinny legs, skinnier than mine, then to a tight black mini. Above that is a crisp white shirt. And crowning the whole thing is a mop of the gingerest hair I’ve ever seen in my life."

  2. 2
    Very careful or cautious; also, delicate, sensitive. British, Canada, US, regional

    "He’s going to get an interview about ten o’clock, making the old gentleman predict war, and we’ll get out the gingerest kind of a special on the strength of it!"

  3. 3
    Homosexual. Cockney, UK, not-comparable, slang
  4. 4
    Having hair or fur of this color.

    "a ginger tomcat"

Adjective
  1. 1
    (used especially of hair or fur) having a bright orange-brown color wordnet
Adverb
  1. 1
    In a very careful or cautious manner; also, delicately, sensitively.
Proper Noun
  1. 1
    A female given name from English and nickname. Popularized by actress Ginger Rogers
  2. 2
    A male nickname. rare
  3. 3
    A given name for animals having ginger- or orange-coloured fur or feathers.
Noun
  1. 1
    The pungent aromatic rhizome of a tropical Asian herb, Zingiber officinale, used as a spice and as a stimulant and acarminative. countable, uncountable
  2. 2
    A homosexual. Cockney, UK, slang
  3. 3
    liveliness and energy wordnet
  4. 4
    The plant that produces this rhizome. countable, uncountable
  5. 5
    pungent rhizome of the common ginger plant; used fresh as a seasoning especially in Asian cookery wordnet
Show 8 more definitions
  1. 6
    Other species belonging to the same family, Zingiberaceae, especially those of the genus Zingiber countable, uncountable
  2. 7
    dried ground gingerroot wordnet
  3. 8
    A reddish-brown color. countable, uncountable
  4. 9
    perennial plants having thick branching aromatic rhizomes and leafy reedlike stems wordnet
  5. 10
    A person with reddish hair; a redhead. colloquial, countable, derogatory, often
  6. 11
    Vitality, vigour, liveliness (of character). colloquial, uncountable

    "The position in the country and in this House might be well expressed by a reference to the recent activities of the ginger party in Great Britain — the party that demanded that more ginger be put into the conduct of the war."

  7. 12
    Ginger ale, or can or bottle of such (especially if dry). colloquial, countable, uncountable

    "Can you buy dry ginger in Croatia? If not what is an alternative?"

  8. 13
    Any fizzy soft drink, or can or bottle of such; pop; soda. Scotland, colloquial, countable, uncountable

    "Here’s, um, not toast but bread, anyway. And a can of ginger."

Verb
  1. 1
    To add ginger to. transitive

    "They gingered the biscotti, black and whited the cookies and oated the meals."

  2. 2
    To move gingerly, in a very careful and cautious manner.

    "Spring training began on Christmas Day, when my cousin and I gingered onto the lot behind the fire station to try out our new spikes."

  3. 3
    add ginger to in order to add flavor wordnet
  4. 4
    To enliven, to spice (up). idiomatic, transitive

    "The accident was an excuse merely to replace an old-fashioned regular with old-fashioned notions by an active, fire-eating young general who would ginger things up."

  5. 5
    To apply ginger to the anus of a horse to encourage it to carry its tail high and move in a lively fashion. transitive

    "If he had been gingered, he would have gone well. After I bought him, I gingered him."

Show 1 more definition
  1. 6
    To inspire (someone); to give a little boost to. Nigeria, transitive

    "These steps may not be immediately popular, but the society may have to bear with them until they succeed in gingering renewed interest and pride in the language so chosen."

Etymology

Etymology 1

Etymology tree Old Tamil 𑀇𑀜𑁆𑀘𑀺 (iñci) Proto-Dravidian *wēr Old Tamil 𑀯𑁂𑀭𑁆 (vēr) Old Tamil 𑀇𑀜𑁆𑀘𑀺𑀯𑁂𑀭𑁆 (iñcivēr)bor. Sauraseni Prakrit 𑀲𑀺𑀁𑀕𑀺𑀯𑁂𑀭 (siṃgivera)der. Ancient Greek ζιγγίβερις (zingíberis)bor. Late Latin zingiberi Late Latin gingiberbor. Proto-West Germanic *gingiberō Old English gingifer ▲ Old French gingembreinflu. Middle English gingivere Middle English gingere English ginger 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”)).

Etymology 2

Etymology tree Old Tamil 𑀇𑀜𑁆𑀘𑀺 (iñci) Proto-Dravidian *wēr Old Tamil 𑀯𑁂𑀭𑁆 (vēr) Old Tamil 𑀇𑀜𑁆𑀘𑀺𑀯𑁂𑀭𑁆 (iñcivēr)bor. Sauraseni Prakrit 𑀲𑀺𑀁𑀕𑀺𑀯𑁂𑀭 (siṃgivera)der. Ancient Greek ζιγγίβερις (zingíberis)bor. Late Latin zingiberi Late Latin gingiberbor. Proto-West Germanic *gingiberō Old English gingifer ▲ Old French gingembreinflu. Middle English gingivere Middle English gingere English ginger 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”)).

Etymology 3

Etymology tree Old Tamil 𑀇𑀜𑁆𑀘𑀺 (iñci) Proto-Dravidian *wēr Old Tamil 𑀯𑁂𑀭𑁆 (vēr) Old Tamil 𑀇𑀜𑁆𑀘𑀺𑀯𑁂𑀭𑁆 (iñcivēr)bor. Sauraseni Prakrit 𑀲𑀺𑀁𑀕𑀺𑀯𑁂𑀭 (siṃgivera)der. Ancient Greek ζιγγίβερις (zingíberis)bor. Late Latin zingiberi Late Latin gingiberbor. Proto-West Germanic *gingiberō Old English gingifer ▲ Old French gingembreinflu. Middle English gingivere Middle English gingere English ginger 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”)).

Etymology 4

Back-formation from gingerly (adverb).

Etymology 5

Back-formation from gingerly (adverb).

Etymology 6

Back-formation from gingerly (adverb).

Etymology 7

Cockney rhyming slang: ginger beer, queer.

Etymology 8

Cockney rhyming slang: ginger beer, queer.

Etymology 9

A diminutive of Virginia; also a nickname for someone or something with ginger-coloured hair.

See also for "ginger"

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