Ginger Comes From Sanskrit for Horn-Shaped Body
Ginger is a pungent root spice. Its name travelled from Sanskrit through Greek and Latin into every European language.
Ginger is the pungent rhizome of *Zingiber officinale*. The name has one of the longest recorded journeys in English: Sanskrit *srngaveram*, meaning horn-shaped body, describes the knobbly rhizome. It passed into Greek, then Latin, then Old English, and every European word for the spice traces back to that Sanskrit description.
- A pungent root spice. *Fresh ginger.*
- Reddish hair (British). *Ginger hair.*
- Liveliness. *Put some ginger into it.*
- Ginger up — to enliven. *Ginger up the campaign.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | ginger | Ground ginger. |
| Adjective | ginger | Ginger hair. |
| Verb | ginger | Ginger it up. |
| Adjective | gingery | A gingery taste. |
| Related | gingerbread | Warm gingerbread. |
How it is used in a sentence
- Ginger is a rhizome, not a root.An underground stem.
- Gingerly is unrelated.It comes from a word meaning delicate.
- Ginger group presses for change.A faction within a party.
Ginger facts
- Rhizome — an underground stem, not a true root
- Gingerol — the compound giving the heat
- Related plants — turmeric, cardamom and galangal are relatives
- Ginger group — a faction pressing for more vigorous action
- Gingerly — unrelated, probably from Old French *gensor*, delicate
From Old English *gingifer*, from Latin *zingiber*, from Greek *zingiberis*, from Pali and ultimately Sanskrit *srngaveram*, horn-body.
Are ginger and gingerly related?
No. Gingerly probably comes from an Old French word meaning delicate, and has nothing to do with the spice.
Is ginger a root?
Botanically it is a rhizome, an underground stem, though it is universally sold and described as a root.