Gin
/dʒɪn/noun
A clear alcoholic spirit flavored with juniper berries.
Did you know?The English word comes through Dutch *jenever* from Latin *iuniperus* “juniper,” because gin was originally a juniper-flavored medicinal spirit, not a nightclub invention.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
yeh₂u-
“to grow young, youthful”
Latin
Latin
iūniperus
“juniper tree”
Medieval Latin
Latin
iūniperus / genever
“juniper; juniper-flavored spirit”
16th Century
Dutch
jenever
“juniper, and then juniper-flavored liquor”
17th Century
English
gin
“a distilled spirit flavored with juniper berries”