# ginger

Pronunciation: US say "JIN-jur" /ˈd͡ʒɪnd͡ʒɚ/; UK say "JIN-juh" /ˈdʒɪndʒə/

## Noun

1. The hot, fragrant underground stem of a tropical Asian plant, Zingiber officinale, used as a spice and to settle the stomach; also, the plant itself.
   - Simple: A spicy root used in cooking and to calm the stomach, or the plant it grows from.
   - _The recipe calls for a thumb of fresh ginger, peeled and minced._
   - _Crystallized ginger is often chewed to ease an uneasy stomach._
3. An informal and often derogatory term for a person with red or reddish hair. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: An informal, sometimes mean name for a person with red hair.
   - _Being the only ginger in the family, she stood out in every photo._
   - _Kids at school teased him for being a ginger._
4. A carbonated soft drink flavored with ginger (ginger ale) or a single can or bottle of it, especially the dry kind. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: A fizzy soft drink flavored with ginger, or a can or bottle of it.
   - _She mixed whiskey with a splash of ginger._
   - _Grab me a cold ginger from the fridge._
6. A reddish-brown color, ranging from an orange-tinged hue to a coppery brown.
   - Simple: A reddish-brown color, a mix of orange and brown.
   - _The designer mixed a rich ginger for the fall palette._
   - _His old armchair had faded to a dull ginger._
5. Any of various other plants in the family Zingiberaceae, especially those of the genus Zingiber.
   - Simple: Any plant in the same family as the spice ginger, especially its close relatives.
   - _Botanists found several rare gingers growing in the mountain forest._
   - _This ornamental ginger produces a tall spike of red flowers._
10. Any fizzy soft drink, or a can or bottle of one; soda or pop. *(dialectal, Scotland)*
   - Simple: A fizzy soft drink, or a can or bottle of one.
   - _Back in Scotland, he still asks for a bottle of ginger when he wants a cola._
   - _"Want some ginger?" his Scottish aunt asked, holding up a can of cola._

## Adjective

2. Of a reddish-brown or orange-brown color, especially of hair or fur.
   - Simple: Orange-brown in color, especially used about hair or fur.
   - _The ginger tomcat ruled the entire neighborhood._
   - _She inherited her grandmother's ginger curls._
7. Marked by great care or caution; also, delicate or sensitive. *(dialectal, UK, Canada, US)*
   - Simple: Very careful or cautious, or gentle and easily hurt.

## Verb

8. To season or flavor a dish or drink by adding ginger to it.
   - Simple: To flavor a food or drink by adding the spice ginger to it.
   - _The chef likes to ginger the sauce lightly before serving it with the salmon._
   - _He gingered the broth until it had a sharp, warm bite._
9. To make something or someone livelier, more active, or more exciting (often 'ginger up').
   - Simple: To make something more lively or exciting.
   - _The director tried to ginger the second act with a new song._
   - _The team needed a quick goal to ginger up the quiet crowd._
11. To make one's way gingerly, taking each step with great caution.
   - Simple: To move in a very careful and cautious way.
   - _With a sprained ankle, he gingered his way across the crowded gym to the bench._
   - _On the narrow ledge, the hikers had to ginger their way along with their backs pressed to the cliff._
12. To apply ginger to a horse's anus so that it carries its tail high and moves in a lively way.
   - Simple: To put ginger into a horse's bottom so it lifts its tail and moves with more spirit.
   - _Crooked dealers learned to ginger a tired animal so buyers paid more._
   - _The groom gingered the gelding before leading it into the ring._

## Other meanings

- (adverb) With great caution, or in a delicate and sensitive way.
- (noun) Vitality, vigor, and liveliness of character; the energetic spirit someone brings to what they do.
- (noun) A homosexual person.
- (adjective) Homosexual; a chiefly British slang usage.

## Origin

**Meanings 1–6, 8–10, 12** — Old Tamil iñcivēr combines iñci ('ginger') with vēr ('root'). From there, the word passed through Sauraseni Prakrit siṃgivera, Late Ancient Greek ζιγγίβερις (zingíberis), Latin zingiberi, and Medieval Latin gingiber before reaching Old English as gingifer. This developed into Middle English gingivere, with influence from Old French gingembre. The shorter Middle English form gingere became modern English 'ginger'.
**Meanings 7, 11** — This sense is a back-formation from the adverb 'gingerly'.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/ginger (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).