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ginger

 - 6 dictionary results

gin⋅ger

[jin-jer]
–noun
1. a reedlike plant, Zingiber officinale, native to the East Indies but now cultivated in most tropical countries, having a pungent, spicy rhizome used in cookery and medicine. Compare ginger family.
2. any of various related or similar plants.
3. Informal. piquancy; animation: plenty of ginger in their performance of the dance.
4. a yellowish or reddish brown.
–verb (used with object)
5. to treat or flavor with ginger.
6. Informal. to impart piquancy or spirit to; enliven (usually fol. by up): to ginger up a talk with a few jokes.
–adjective
7. flavored or made with ginger.

Origin:
bef. 1000; ME ginger, gingivere < OF gingivre < L gingiber, for zingiberi < Gk zingíberis; r. OE gingiber < L, as above

Gin⋅ger

[jin-jer]
–noun
a female given name, form of Virginia or Regina.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To ginger
gin·ger   (jĭn'jər)   
n.  
  1. A plant (Zingiber officinale) of tropical southeast Asia having yellowish-green flowers and a pungent aromatic rhizome.

  2. The rhizome of this plant, often dried and powdered and used as a spice. Also called gingerroot.

    1. Any of several related plants having variously colored, often fragrant flowers.

    2. Wild ginger.

  3. A strong brown.

  4. Informal Spirit and liveliness; vigor.

tr.v.   gin·gered, gin·ger·ing, gin·gers
  1. To spice with ginger.

  2. Informal To make lively: A steel drum band gingered up the party.


[Middle English gingivere, from Old English gingifer and from Old French gingivre, both from Medieval Latin gingiber, from Latin zingiberi, from Greek zingiberis, of Middle Indic origin (akin to Pali singiveram), from Dravidian : akin to Tamil iñci, ginger (of southeast Asian origin) + Tamil vēr, root.]
gin'ger·y adj.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

ginger 
O.E. gingifer, from M.L. gingiber, from L. zingiberi, from Gk. zingiberis, from Prakrit (Middle Indic) singabera, from Skt. srngaveram, from srngam "horn" + vera- "body," so called from the shape of its root. But this may be Skt. folk-etymology, and the word may be from an ancient Dravidian name that also produced the Malayalam name for the spice, inchi-ver, from inchi "root." Cf. gin (v.).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: gin·ger
Pronunciation: 'jin-j&r
Function: noun
1 a : a thickened pungent aromatic rhizome that is used as a spice andsometimes in medicine b : the spice usually prepared by drying and grinding ginger
2 : any of a genus (Zingiber of the family Zingiberaceae, the gingerfamily) of herbs with pungent aromatic rhizomes; especially : a widely cultivated tropical herb (Z. officinale) that supplies most of the ginger of commerce
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Computing Dictionary

Ginger
A simple functional language from the University of Warwick with parallel constructs.
(1994-11-02)

The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing, © 1993-2007 Denis Howe
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