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.
any of various related or similar plants.
the rhizome of the ginger plant, ground, chopped, etc. and used as a flavoring.
Informal. piquancy; animation: plenty of ginger in their performance of the dance.
a yellowish or reddish brown.
verb (used with object)
to treat or flavor with ginger.
Informal. to impart piquancy or spirit to; enliven (usually followed by up): to ginger up a talk with a few jokes.
adjective
flavored or made with ginger.
Origin of ginger
before 1000; Middle English ginger, gingivere<Old French gingivre<Latin gingiber, for zingiberi<Greek zingíberis; replacing Old English gingiber<Latin, as above
Ginger discrimination—particularly among boys—is a real problem, says artist Thomas Knights.
Redheads Are Sexy, Dammit!|Justin Jones|September 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The names continue to pour in: Rihanna, Scarlett Johansson, and Rose McGowan—even though their ginger locks were only temporary.
Redheads Are Sexy, Dammit!|Justin Jones|September 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He finally felt comfortable enough to embrace his ginger roots.
Redheads Are Sexy, Dammit!|Justin Jones|September 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Ginger shot off the couch and squared up with him, finger in his face.
Short Stories from The Daily Beast: Four Hundred Grand|Elliot Ackerman|July 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Ginger returned the china to the cupboard and sat next to him on the sofa.
Short Stories from The Daily Beast: Four Hundred Grand|Elliot Ackerman|July 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Nowadays some chafing dish show-offs try to gild the Golden Buck with dashes of ginger and spice.
The Complete Book of Cheese|Robert Carlton Brown
The customers come again and again, and buy quantities, in spite of being afraid of Ginger and Pickles.
The Tale of Ginger and Pickles|Beatrix Potter
Thin with sweet milk, flavor with ginger and spices, or vanilla can be used.
The Hotel St. Francis Cook Book|Victor Hirtzler
A drachm each of saltpetre, ginger, and Barbadoes aloes will form a mild aperient, when made into a mass with a little soft soap.
Riding for Ladies|Mrs. Power O'Donoghue
Boil in a quart of vinegar, three bits of ginger, half an ounce of pepper, and a quarter of an ounce of cloves.
A Poetical Cook-Book|Maria J. Moss
British Dictionary definitions for ginger
ginger
/ (ˈdʒɪndʒə) /
noun
any of several zingiberaceous plants of the genus Zingiber, esp Z. officinale of the East Indies, cultivated throughout the tropics for its spicy hot-tasting underground stemSee also galangal Compare wild ginger
the underground stem of this plant, which is used fresh or powdered as a flavouring or crystallized as a sweetmeat
any of certain related plants
a reddish-brown or yellowish-brown colour
(as adjective)ginger hair
informalliveliness; vigour
(ˈɡɪŋə) informala person with ginger hair
verb
(tr)to add the spice ginger to (a dish)
See also ginger up
Word Origin for ginger
C13: from Old French gingivre, from Medieval Latin gingiber, from Latin zinziberi, from Greek zingiberis, probably from Sanskrit śr̄ngaveram, from śr̄nga- horn + vera- body, referring to its shape