ginger
/'dʤindʤə/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Noun:
- A spice: A pungent, aromatic rhizome (underground stem) of a tropical plant, used fresh, dried, or powdered to flavor food and drink.
- The plant: The tropical plant (Zingiber officinale) from which this rhizome is harvested.
- A color: A reddish-orange or light brownish-orange color, often used to describe hair.
- Liveliness, energy: (Informal) A quality of spirited energy or pep.
Adjective:
- Of a color: Having a bright orange-brown or reddish-orange color, typically describing hair or fur.
Verb:
- To flavor with ginger: To add ginger as a seasoning to food or drink.
- To make more lively: (Often used with up) To add energy, excitement, or liveliness to something.
Examples of Usage
- Noun (Spice/Plant):
- Add a teaspoon of ground ginger to the cake batter.
- The recipe calls for fresh ginger, finely chopped.
- Noun (Color):
- He has bright ginger hair.
- Noun (Energy):
- The new manager brought some much-needed ginger to the team.
- Adjective:
- She adopted a ginger cat from the shelter.
- Verb:
- Remember to ginger the stir-fry sauce.
- We need to ginger up this party; it's too quiet.
Advanced Usage
- "ginger group": (Chiefly British) A group within a larger organization that presses for more active or radical policies.
- The ginger group within the party is pushing for faster reform.
- "gingerly" (Adverb): In a careful or cautious manner. (Note: This is a distinct word derived from the perceived delicate handling of ginger, but it is now a separate lexical item).
- He stepped gingerly over the broken glass.
Variants and Related Words
- Gingery (Adjective):
- Tasting or smelling of ginger. The sauce had a gingery aroma.
- (Of hair) Having a ginger color. He has gingery eyebrows.
- Gingerroot: Another term for the rhizome used as a spice.
- Ginger ale/beer: Carbonated soft drinks flavored with ginger.
Synonyms
- Noun (Spice): rhizome, root, seasoning.
- Noun (Energy): pep, vigor, liveliness, spirit, zest.
- Adjective (Color): reddish-orange, auburn, titian, carroty (informal).
Related Phrasal Verbs
- Ginger up: To make something more exciting, active, or lively.
- The coach tried to ginger up the players at halftime.
- A new coat of paint will ginger the old room up.
Related Idioms
- Handle/treat with gingerly care: To be very careful and delicate. (This idiom uses the adverb 'gingerly', which is related to but distinct from the noun 'ginger').
- The ancient manuscript must be handled with gingerly care.
Adjective
- (used especially of hair or fur) having a bright orange-brown color
- a man with gingery hair and bright blue eyes
- a ginger kitten
Noun
- liveliness and energy
- this tonic is guaranteed to give you more pep
- pungent rhizome of the common ginger plant; used fresh as a seasoning especially in Asian cookery
- dried ground gingerroot
- perennial plants having thick branching aromatic rhizomes and leafy reedlike stems
Verb
- add ginger to in order to add flavor
- ginger the soup