Ingwer
/ˈɪŋ.vɐ/noun
German for ginger, the spicy rhizome of the plant Zingiber officinale.
Did you know?Ingwer ultimately comes from a chain that reaches back to Sanskrit, where the root behind it was tied to the ginger plant long before it entered Greek and Latin as a prized imported spice.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient India
Sanskrit
śṛṅgavera
“A term for ginger, likely referring to the plant’s horn-like shape”
Ancient Greek
Greek
zingíberis
“A borrowed name for ginger, brought into Mediterranean trade vocabulary”
Late Latin
Latin
zingiber
“Ginger, the costly imported spice”
Old High German
OHG
gingibero
“Ginger”
Middle High German
MHG
ingewer
“Ginger”
Modern German
German
Ingwer
“Ginger”