ginger
Part of speech: noun
adj
verb
adv
Morphological type: simple
Etymology: 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”)).
Inflected forms:
form: gingers
pos: noun
tags: plural
form: more ginger
pos: adj
tags: comparative
form: gingerer
pos: adj
tags: comparative
rare
form: most ginger
pos: adj
tags: superlative
form: gingerest
pos: adj
tags: rare
superlative
form: gingers
pos: verb
tags: present
singular
third-person
form: gingering
pos: verb
tags: participle
present
form: gingered
pos: verb
tags: participle
past
form: gingered
pos: verb
tags: past
form: more ginger
pos: adv
tags: comparative
form: most ginger
pos: adv
tags: superlative
Senses:
gloss: The pungent aromatic rhizome of a tropical Asian herb, Zingiber officinale, used as a spice and as a stimulant and acarminative.
pos: noun
tags: countable
uncountable
gloss: The plant that produces this rhizome.
pos: noun
tags: countable
uncountable
gloss: Other species belonging to the same family, Zingiberaceae, especially those of the genus Zingiber
pos: noun
tags: countable
uncountable
gloss: A reddish-brown color.
pos: noun
tags: countable
uncountable
gloss: A person with reddish hair; a redhead.
pos: noun
tags: colloquial
countable
derogatory
often
gloss: Vitality, vigour, liveliness (of character).
pos: noun
tags: colloquial
uncountable
examples: 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.
He had, however, "put some more ginger in two nights ago. Things move with exasperating slowness in this country.”
The party managers demanded more “ginger.”
gloss: Ginger ale, or can or bottle of such (especially if dry).
pos: noun
tags: colloquial
countable
uncountable
examples: Can you buy dry ginger in Croatia? If not what is an alternative?
gloss: Any fizzy soft drink, or can or bottle of such; pop; soda.
pos: noun
tags: Scotland
colloquial
countable
uncountable
examples: Here’s, um, not toast but bread, anyway. And a can of ginger.
A lot of people will tell you ‘ginger’ tastes best in glass, and there is a science behind that,” says the company’s commercial director.
Maybe I was naive in thinking that baking with fizzy juice (soda, ginger, pop, whatever your regional name for the stuff is!) would be straightforward.
gloss: Of a reddish-brown color.
pos: adj
examples: 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.
And her hair’s brilliant red. It’s even gingerer than ours.
But as well as being a tough rugby player, Jammer [i.e., James Graham] also has the gingerest hair and palest skin in rugby (and possibly the world).
gloss: Having hair or fur of this color.
pos: adj
examples: a ginger tomcat
A chorus of ‘Aaah’s rose as they would in an episode of The Royle Family, while the gingerest boy in school swung his legs on the worktop and pretended he was Jamaican to be more like his mate sitting next to him, who wasn’t Jamaican either, but had parents who were.
But now evolution has stepped in, the reds are starting to mutate into bright ginger versions of themselves – and they’re here to stay. Leading squirrel expert Tony Handeigh, 48, is excited about the new breed of squirrel and thinks we could see woodland warfare in the future. He says: “I’ve seen one close up and it’s more ginger than Mick Hucknall’s pubes. But when it’s angry it gets even more gingerer.”
He had everything. The Catweazle beard, the headband, the long flowing locks and he’s got to be the gingerest footballer ever (sorry Scholesy).
His frizzy ginger hair is all slicked down straight, his sideburns are trimmed, and he’s wearing a suit. […] That is the rudest thing that anyone has ever said to me! Coming from my own father means that it’s twenty billion times worse. ‘Well, you’re . . . you’re . . . you’re the gingerest person in the world!’ I don’t know if that hurt or not.
The walls of Jupiter’s study were lined with bookshelves and framed photographs, mostly of strange landscapes and people. Jupiter himself only popped up in a few of them – younger, gingerer, skinnier, less beardy.
gloss: To add ginger to.
pos: verb
tags: transitive
examples: They gingered the biscotti, black and whited the cookies and oated the meals.
The first breather of the day came when Naomi brought some gingered lemonade out to the barn.
gloss: To enliven, to spice (up).
pos: verb
tags: idiomatic
transitive
examples: 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.
Before an action began, he liked to make bold predictions as to its outcome; this was part of his way of gingering people up, of creating an aura of victory to come.
Regarding this human angle, DeMille wrote, "I am sometimes accused of gingering up the Bible with large and lavish infusions of sex and violence. I can only wonder if my accusers have ever read certain parts of the Bible."
gloss: To apply ginger to the anus of a horse to encourage it to carry its tail high and move in a lively fashion.
pos: verb
tags: transitive
examples: If he had been gingered, he would have gone well. After I bought him, I gingered him.
Gingering is decided cruelty.
There he is, moving in his best form, with the full knowledge that that long whip in his rear will once more be round his flanks, as it has often been before, if he fails to wake up when he comes out for a show—well gingered, too, we should say, and all life and action.
gloss: To inspire (someone); to give a little boost to.
pos: verb
tags: Nigeria
transitive
examples: 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.
In conclusion, intensive campaigns should be done in relation to gingering the nomads' interest in education, improve their interaction with neighbours and encourage them to start considering a more sedentary pastoral life.
I attended their concert first, so that was what gingered me to continue this school.
gloss: In a very careful or cautious manner; also, delicately, sensitively.
pos: adv
Related words: galangal
feague
parkin
redhead
shandy
shandygaff
turmeric
Derived words: African ginger
aromatic ginger
baby ginger
black ginger
bleached ginger
blue ginger
butterfly ginger
by ginger
Canada ginger
Chinese ginger
Cochin ginger
common ginger
crêpe ginger
dry ginger
Egyptian ginger
gingerade
ginger ale
ginger beer
gingerbread
ginger bug
ginger cordial
gingerette
ginger grass
ginger group
ginger-hackled
Ginger Island
gingerism
gingerita
ginger knob
gingerlike
ginger lily
ginger minger
gingermint
ginger ninja
ginger nut
gingernut
gingerol
gingerous
gingerphobe
gingerphobia
ginger pop
ginger-pop
ginger root
ginger snap
gingersnap
gingersome
ginger talk
gingertini
ginger wine
gingery
gingette
green ginger
Indian ginger
Jamaica ginger
Japanese ginger
kahili ginger
knock down ginger
knock-knock ginger
limed ginger
mango ginger
new ginger
pinecone ginger
pink ginger
race ginger
red ginger
sand ginger
sea ginger
shampoo ginger
shell ginger
show a little ginger
Siamese ginger
spiral ginger
spring ginger
stem ginger
stone-ginger
Thai ginger
torch ginger
white ginger
wild ginger
yellow ginger
young ginger
ginger-haired
Ginger Line
gingervitis
ginger up
Translations: