zingiberi

Latin

Alternative forms

• zimpiberi, zingiber, gingiber, zingeber, gingeber

Etymology

From Ancient Greek ζιγγίβερις (zingíberis), from Sauraseni Prakrit 𑀲𑀺𑀁𑀕𑀺𑀯𑁂𑀭 (siṃgivera), from a Dravidian language; compare Proto-Dravidian *cinkiwēr (“ginger”), Old Tamil 𑀇𑀜𑁆𑀘𑀺 (iñci, “ginger”) + 𑀯𑁂𑀭𑁆 (vēr, “root”) (modern Tamil இஞ்சி (iñci, “ginger”) + வேர் (vēr, “root”)).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /zinˈɡi.be.ri/, [d̪͡z̪ɪŋˈɡɪbɛrɪ]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /d͡zinˈd͡ʒi.be.ri/, [d̪͡z̪in̠ʲˈd͡ʒiːberi]

Noun

zingiberi n (indeclinable)

1. ginger

Descendants

• → Translingual: Zingiber, Zingiberales

Reflexes of the Late Latin variant gingiber:

• Italo-Romance:
  • Italian: zenzero (see there for further descendants)
  • Sicilian: gènciru, zenzeru
• Padanian:
  • Friulian: zenzar
  • Old Lombard: çençauro
  • Old Ligurian: zenzavro
  • Piedmontese: zenser
  • Venetan: xènxaro
• Gallo-Romance:
  • Old Catalan: gingebre, gingibre, gengibre, gengebre
    • Catalan: gingebre
  • Old French: gingembre (see there for further descendants)
  • Old Occitan: gingibre (see there for further descendants)
• Borrowings:
  • → Hungarian: gyömbér (see there for further descendants)
  • → Proto-West Germanic: *gingiberō (see there for further descendants)

References

• Walther von Wartburg (1928–2002) “zĭngĭber”, in Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, volumes 14: U–Z, page 664

Further reading

• “zingiberi”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• zingiberi in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.