ginger
1 Americannoun
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a reedlike plant, Zingiber officinale, native to South Asia but now cultivated in many tropical countries, having a pungent, spicy rhizome used in cooking and medicine.
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any of various plants related to or similar to Zingiber officinale.
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the rhizome of Zingiber officinale, ground, chopped, etc., and used as a flavoring.
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Informal. piquancy; animation.
There was plenty of ginger in their performance of the dance.
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a yellowish or reddish brown.
verb (used with object)
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to treat or flavor with ginger, the spicy rhizome of the Zingiber officinale plant.
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Informal. to impart piquancy or spirit to; enliven (usually followed byup ).
to ginger up a talk with a few jokes.
adjective
noun
noun
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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 stem See also galangal Compare wild ginger
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the underground stem of this plant, which is used fresh or powdered as a flavouring or crystallized as a sweetmeat
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any of certain related plants
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a reddish-brown or yellowish-brown colour
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( as adjective )
ginger hair
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informal liveliness; vigour
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informal a person with ginger hair
verb
Etymology
Origin of ginger
First recorded before 1000; Middle English ginger, gingivere from Old French gingivre, from Latin gingiber, for zingiberi from Greek zingíberis; replacing Old English gingiber from Latin, as above
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The black, white and ginger mother was discovered by the landlord crawling in and out of the house through the hole in the front door.
From BBC
That changed with his dramatic return in December, accompanied by his fluffy ginger cat, Zebu, images of which went viral on Bangladeshi social media.
From Barron's
The ginger ale is flatly branded Canada Dry.
From Salon
That changed with his dramatic return and hero's welcome in December, accompanied by his fluffy ginger cat, Jebu, images of which have gone viral on Bangladeshi social media.
From Barron's
You can use it as is or grate ginger into it.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
