ginger
UK[ˈdʒɪndʒə]US[ˈdʒɪndʒər]
n
a hot, fragrant spice made from the rhizome of a plant, which can be used fresh or dried and powdered
n
a light reddish-yellow or orange-brown colour
n
the plant from which this spice is obtained, which has thick stems that grow under the ground
adj
(of hair or fur) of a light reddish-yellow colour
Etymology
the word 'ginger' has traveled a long and winding etymological path from ancient south asia to modern english. its ultimate origin lies in the dravidian languages of the indian subcontinent, where a term for the root was adopted into sanskrit as 'śṛṅgavera'. this term, meaning 'horn-bodied', likely described the shape of the ginger rhizome. through trade, the word passed into greek and then latin, undergoing phonetic changes before entering old english. the modern english form 'ginger' thus preserves, through centuries of linguistic borrowing, the name of a spice that was highly valued in medieval europe both for culinary and medicinal purposes, with its current spelling solidifying in the middle english period.
Analysis
the word 'ginger' is a simplex loanword. it entered english from old english 'gingifer', which came via latin 'zingiber' and greek 'zingíberis' from a prakrit (middle indic) source 'siṅgivera'. this, in turn, is traced back to the dravidian language family, likely from a proto-dravidian root reconstructed as 'ciṅiv-/iṅiv-' meaning 'ginger root'.
Examples
the recipe calls for a teaspoon of fresh grated ginger.
she has beautiful ginger hair that shines in the sun.
ginger is widely used in asian cuisine for its distinctive pungent flavor.