Definition: zingiber officinale

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Source: WordNet (r) 1.7 

Zingiber officinale
     n : tropical Asian plant widely cultivated for its pungent root;
         source of gingerroot and powdered ginger [syn: common
         ginger, Canton ginger, stem ginger, Zingiber
         officinale]

Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) 

Ginger \Gin"ger\, n. [OE. ginger, gingever, gingivere, OF.
   gengibre, gingimbre, F. gingembre, L. zingiber, zingiberi,
   fr. Gr. ?; of Oriental origin; cf. Ar. & Pers. zenjeb[=i]l,
   fr. Skr. ???gav["e]ra, prop., hornshaped; ???ga horn +
   v["e]ra body.]
   1. (Bot.) A plant of the genus Zingiber, of the East and
      West Indies. The species most known is Z. officinale.

   2. The hot and spicy rootstock of Zingiber officinale,
      which is much used in cookery and in medicine.

   Ginger beer or ale, a mild beer impregnated with ginger.
      

   Ginger cordial, a liquor made from ginger, raisins, lemon
      rind, and water, and sometimes whisky or brandy.

   Ginger pop. See Ginger beer (above).

   Ginger wine, wine impregnated with ginger.

   Wild ginger (Bot.), an American herb (Asarum Canadense)
      with two reniform leaves and a long, cordlike rootstock
      which has a strong taste of ginger.