GINGER


Meaning of GINGER in English

I. ˈjin-jər noun

Etymology: Middle English, alteration of Old English gingifer, from Medieval Latin gingiber, alteration of Latin zingiber, from Greek zingiberi, of Indo-Aryan origin; akin to Pali siṅgivēra ginger

Date: before 12th century

1.

a.

(1) : a thickened pungent aromatic rhizome that is used as a spice and sometimes medicinally

(2) : the spice usually prepared by drying and grinding ginger

b. : any of a genus ( Zingiber of the family Zingiberaceae, the ginger family) of herbs with pungent aromatic rhizomes ; especially : a widely cultivated tropical herb ( Z. officinale ) that supplies most commercial ginger — compare wild ginger

2. : pep

the ginger to…work hard — Willa Cather

3. : a light reddish or reddish-brown color

ginger hair

• gin·gery ˈjinj-rē, ˈjin-jə- adjective

II. transitive verb

( gin·gered ; gin·ger·ing ˈjinj-riŋ, ˈjin-jə-)

Date: 1849

: to make lively : pep up

ginger up the tourist trade — New York Times

Merriam-Webster's Collegiate English vocabulary.      Энциклопедический словарь английского языка Merriam Webster.