ginseng

[ jin-seng ]

noun
  1. any of several plants of the genus Panax, especially P. pseudoginseng, of eastern Asia, or P. qinquefolius, of North America, having an aromatic root used medicinally.

  2. the root itself.

  1. a preparation made from it.

Origin of ginseng

1
1645–55; <Chinese (Wade-Giles) jên2 shên1, (Pinyin) rén-shēn, equivalent to rén man + shēn name for a kind of herb

Words Nearby ginseng

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How to use ginseng in a sentence

  • And from that moment the bear's name was ginseng as long as he lived, and he lived to be a very old bear indeed.

    The Box-Car Children | Gertrude Chandler Warner
  • He replied that he resided on the French Broad, and was a dealer in ginseng.

  • The reason is that the root of the ginseng plant often resembles the human body.

    Psychotherapy | James J. Walsh
  • On the same principle the Chinese use ginseng-root as a general tonic.

    Psychotherapy | James J. Walsh
  • There are no longer any store-houses for ginseng on the wharves of Boston.

    Little Sky-High | Hezekiah Butterworth

British Dictionary definitions for ginseng

ginseng

/ (ˈdʒɪnsɛŋ) /


noun
  1. either of two araliaceous plants, Panax schinseng of China or P. quinquefolius of North America, whose forked aromatic roots are used medicinally

  2. the root of either of these plants or a substance obtained from the roots, believed to possess stimulant, tonic, and energy-giving properties

Origin of ginseng

1
C17: from Mandarin Chinese jen shen, from jen man (from a resemblance of the roots to human legs) + shen ginseng

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012