ginger
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ginger¹
- /ˈdʒɪndʒə/ UK
- /ˈd͡ʒɪnd͡ʒɚ/ US
Rhymes with -ɪndʒə(ɹ)
Where it comes from
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”)).
noun gingers
- The pungent aromatic rhizome of a tropical Asian herb, Zingiber officinale, used as a spice and as a stimulant and acarminative.
- The plant that produces this rhizome.
- Other species belonging to the same family, Zingiberaceae, especially those of the genus Zingiber.
- A reddish-brown color.
- A person with reddish hair; a redhead.
- Vitality, vigour, liveliness (of character). 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.
- Ginger ale, or can or bottle of such (especially if dry). Can you buy dry ginger in Croatia? If not what is an alternative?
- Any fizzy soft drink, or can or bottle of such; pop; soda. Here’s, um, not toast but bread, anyway. And a can of ginger.
adjective more ginger · gingerer · most ginger · gingerest
- 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.
- Having hair or fur of this color. a ginger tomcat
verb gingers · gingering · gingered
- To add ginger to. They gingered the biscotti, black and whited the cookies and oated the meals.
- To enliven, to spice (up). 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.
- To apply ginger to the anus of a horse to encourage it to carry its tail high and move in a lively fashion. If he had been gingered, he would have gone well. After I bought him, I gingered him.
- To inspire (someone); to give a little boost to. 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.
ginger²
- /ˈdʒɪndʒə/ UK
- /ˈd͡ʒɪnd͡ʒɚ/ US
Rhymes with -ɪndʒə(ɹ)
Where it comes from
Back-formation from gingerly (adverb).
adjective more ginger · gingerer · most ginger · gingerest
adverb more ginger · most ginger
-
In a very careful or cautious manner; also, delicately, sensitively.
Similar: gingerly
verb gingers · gingering · gingered
- 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.
ginger³
- /ˈdʒɪndʒə/ UK
- /ˈd͡ʒɪnd͡ʒɚ/ US
Rhymes with -ɪndʒə(ɹ)
Where it comes from
Cockney rhyming slang: ginger beer, queer.
noun gingers
- A homosexual.
adjective
- Homosexual.
Ginger⁴
- /ˈd͡ʒɪnd͡ʒɚ/ US
Where it comes from
A diminutive of Virginia; also a nickname for someone or something with ginger-coloured hair.
proper noun
- A female given name from English and nickname. Popularized by actress Ginger Rogers
- A male nickname.
- A given name for animals having ginger- or orange-coloured fur or feathers.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: gingerroot, colored, colorful, coloured, peppiness, pep, in color, powdered ginger, ale, redhead, glue, kang, girl, gang, daughter, movie
Translations
Every language
noun spice
| Español | jengibre, kion |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 생강 saenggang |
| 日本語 | 生姜 shōga |
| 中文 | 薑 /姜 jiāng |
| हिन्दी | आदा ādā |
| Kiswahili | tangawizi |
| Português | gengibre |
| Français | gingembre |
| Deutsch | Ingwer |
| Italiano | zenzero |
| Ελληνικά | τζίντζερ tzíntzer, πιπερόριζα piperóriza |
| Română | ghimber |
| Русский | имби́рь imbírʹ |
| Tiếng Việt | gừng |
| العربية | زَنْجَبِيل zanjabīl |
| עברית | זַנְגְּבִיל zangvíl |
noun plant
| Español | jengibre |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 생강 saenggang |
| 日本語 | 生姜 shōga |
| 中文 | 薑 /姜 jiāng |
| हिन्दी | अदरक adrak |
| Kiswahili | mtangawizi |
| Português | gengibre |
| Français | gingembre |
| Deutsch | Ingwer |
| Italiano | zenzero |
| Ελληνικά | πιπερόριζα piperóriza |
| Română | ghimber |
| Русский | имби́рь imbírʹ |
| Tiếng Việt | gừng |
| العربية | زَنْجَبِيل zanjabīl |
| עברית | זַנְגְּבִיל zangvíl |
noun colour/color
| 日本語 | 生姜色 shōgairo, 赤褐色 seki-kasshoku |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 薑黃色 /姜黄色 jiānghuángsè |
| Ελληνικά | πυρρόν pyrrón, πυρρόξανθο pyrróxantho, ξανθοκόκκινο xanthokókkino |
noun person with reddish-brown hair
| Español | pelirrojo, colorín, choco |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 赤毛 akage |
| 中文 | 薑黃色頭髮的人 /姜黄色头发的人 jiānghuángsè tóufa de rén |
| Português | ruivo |
| Français | rouquin, rouquemoute |
| Deutsch | Rotkopf, Rotschopf |
| Italiano | pel di carota, testarossa |
| Ελληνικά | πυρρόξανθος pyrróxanthos, ξανθοκόκκινος xanthokókkinos |
| Română | roșcat |
| Русский | ры́жий rýžij, ры́жая rýžaja |
| עברית | ג׳ינג׳י jínji, ג׳ינג׳ית jínjit |
Talk about this word "ginger." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/ginger. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. ginger. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/ginger "ginger." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/ginger.Cite this
@misc{ginger_2026,
title = {ginger},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/ginger},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
