Gingembre
/ˈdʒɪn.dʒəm.bɚ/noun
A spicy rhizome used as a flavoring, seasoning, and traditional medicinal ingredient.
Did you know?The word ultimately traces back to a South Asian source for ginger that passed through Sanskrit, Greek, and Latin before arriving in French, showing how trade routes can carry words like relics.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Dravidian / Sanskrit
Dravidian/Skt.
*cinkiṟ / śṛṅgavera
“A term for ginger in South Asian languages, referring to the plant’s rhizome”
Ancient Greek
Greek
zingíberis
“A borrowed name for ginger used in Greek trade and medical writing”
Late Latin
Latin
zingiber
“Ginger”
Old French
OF
gingibre
“Ginger”
Modern French
French
gingembre
“Ginger”