ginger

noun

• 1a hot, fragrant spice made from the rhizome of a plant, which may be chopped or powdered for cooking, preserved in syrup, or candied.
• short for ginger ale.

• 2a SE Asian plant, which resembles bamboo in appearance, from which ginger is taken.

  • Zingiber officinale, family Zingiberaceae

• 3a light reddish-yellow colour.

• 4a quality of energy or spiritedness:the ginger had gone out of the men

adjective

• (chiefly of hair or fur) of a light reddish-yellow colour.
• (of a person or animal) having ginger hair or fur.

verb

• 1 (usually as adjective gingered) flavour with ginger:gingered sweet-potato salad

• 2 (ginger someone/thing up) make someone or something more lively:she slapped his hand lightly to ginger him up