ginger
ginger Lexical Profile
ginger Game Scores & Validity
• noun
The knotted, beige underground rhizome or root of the tropical plant Zingiber officinale, widely used fresh as a pungent culinary vegetable or dried and ground as a warming spice in cooking, baking, and herbal remedies.
"She grated a thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger into the sizzling stir-fry."
A light reddish-yellow or orange-brown color, especially when describing human hair or animal fur.
"His beard was a striking shade of bright ginger."
A reed-like tropical perennial plant (Zingiber officinale) of the family Zingiberaceae, native to Maritime Southeast Asia and cultivated across tropical regions for its aromatic rhizomes.
"The botanical conservatory features several varieties of ornamental and culinary ginger thriving in the humid shade."
British A person with red or orange-brown hair.
"As the only ginger in her family, she always stood out in childhood photographs."
Liveliness, high spirits, or energetic vitality.
"The coach's halftime speech put some much-needed ginger back into the exhausted team."
• adjective
Flavored with or containing the pungent, spicy root of the ginger plant.
"She served a plate of crisp ginger biscuits alongside the afternoon tea."
Having a light reddish-yellow or orange-brown color, especially in reference to human hair or animal fur.
"The stray ginger cat curled up comfortably on the warm porch step."
• verb
British To make a person, group, or activity more lively, spirited, or energetic (often followed by 'up').
"The new director was brought in to ginger up the company's marketing campaign."
To flavor or season food or drink with ginger.
"The chef gingered the pear compote to give the dessert a warm, spicy finish."
• Rhymes for ginger
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed from Old English gingifer and Old French gingibre, via Medieval Latin gingiber and Ancient Greek zingiberis, ultimately tracing back to the Old Tamil word inciver, meaning 'ginger root'.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.