gin

1
[ jin ]
See synonyms for gin on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. an alcoholic liquor obtained by distilling grain mash with juniper berries.

  2. an alcoholic liquor similar to this, made by redistilling spirits with flavoring agents, especially juniper berries, orange peel, angelica root, etc.

Origin of gin

1
First recorded in 1705–15; shortened from geneva, alteration of Dutch genever “gin,” literally “juniper” (because the liquor was flavored with juniper berries), from Old French genevre “juniper plant,” from assumed Vulgar Latin jeniperus, from Latin juniperus

Words that may be confused with gin

Other definitions for gin (2 of 6)

gin2
[ jin ]

noun
  1. cotton gin: Did Whitney's invention of the gin actually enable an expansion in the slave trade?

  2. a trap or snare for game: They learned how to devise a simple gin for catching rabbits and quail and such.

  1. any of various machines employing simple tackle or windlass mechanisms for hoisting: She finished developing her father's design of a gin that would facilitate safer movement of large parts in the manufacturing plant.

  2. a stationary prime mover having a drive shaft rotated by horizontal beams pulled by horses walking in a circle: The gins were activated by teams of horses to power the pulley system that hauled the coal out of the mines.

verb (used with object),ginned, gin·ning.
  1. to clear (cotton) of seeds with a gin: The weather's fine today for ginning cotton.

  2. to snare (game): Hey! Looks like you ginned a woodcock.

Origin of gin

2
First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English gyn, shortened variant of Old French engin “innate quality, clever invention”; see origin at engine

Other words from gin

  • ginner, noun

Other definitions for gin (3 of 6)

gin3
[ gin ]

verb (used with or without object),gan [gan], /gæn/, gun [guhn], /gʌn/, gin·ning.
  1. Archaic. to begin: At twilight, gin we our leave.

Origin of gin

3
First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English ginnen, Old English ginnan, shortened variant of onginnan, beginnen “to begin”; see begin

Other definitions for gin (4 of 6)

gin4
[ jin ]

noun
  1. Also called gin rum·my [jin-ruhm-ee] /ˈdʒɪn ˈrʌm i/ . a variety of rummy for two players, in which a player with 10 or fewer points in unmatched cards can end the game by laying down the hand: They get together ever Tuesday for a friendly game of gin.

  2. the winning of such a game by laying down a full set of matched cards, earning the winner a bonus of 20 or 25 points: Sorry, but that's gin for me again.

verb (used without object),ginned, gin·ning.
  1. to win a game in gin by laying down a hand in which all 10 cards are included in sets: How many times has she ginned tonight?

Origin of gin

4
First recorded in 1955–60; perhaps special use of gin1, a shortening of the variant gin rummy, recorded in 1940–45

Other definitions for gin (5 of 6)

gin5
[ gin ]

conjunctionChiefly Scot. and Southern Appalachian.
  1. if; whether: It's a beast of a river to cross, gin ye dare.

Origin of gin

5
First recorded in 1665–75; variously explained as sense development of gien “given” (see gie, -en3); as contraction of gif (see if, an2; cf. iffen); or as a shortening of again

Other definitions for gin (6 of 6)

gin6

or jin

[ jin ]

nounAustralian Informal: Offensive.
  1. an Aboriginal woman.

  2. an Aboriginal wife.

Origin of gin

6
First recorded in 1790–1800; from Dharuk di-yin, diyin “woman, old woman”

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use gin in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for gin (1 of 5)

gin1

/ (dʒɪn) /


noun
  1. an alcoholic drink obtained by distillation and rectification of the grain of malted barley, rye, or maize, flavoured with juniper berries

  2. any of various grain spirits flavoured with other fruit or aromatic essences: sloe gin

  1. an alcoholic drink made from any rectified spirit

Origin of gin

1
C18: shortened from Dutch genever juniper, via Old French from Latin jūniperus juniper

British Dictionary definitions for gin (2 of 5)

gin2

/ (dʒɪn) /


noun
  1. a primitive engine in which a vertical shaft is turned by horses driving a horizontal beam or yoke in a circle

  2. Also called: cotton gin a machine of this type used for separating seeds from raw cotton

  1. a trap for catching small mammals, consisting of a noose of thin strong wire

  2. a hand-operated hoist that consists of a drum winder turned by a crank

verbgins, ginning or ginned (tr)
  1. to free (cotton) of seeds with a gin

  2. to trap or snare (game) with a gin

Origin of gin

2
C13 gyn, shortened from engine

Derived forms of gin

  • ginner, noun

British Dictionary definitions for gin (3 of 5)

gin3

/ (ɡɪn) /


verbgins, ginning, gan or gun
  1. an archaic word for begin

British Dictionary definitions for gin (4 of 5)

gin4

/ (ɡɪn) /


conjunction
  1. Scot if

Origin of gin

4
perhaps related to gif, an earlier form of if

British Dictionary definitions for gin (5 of 5)

gin5

/ (dʒɪn) /


noun
  1. Australian offensive, slang an Aboriginal woman

Origin of gin

5
C19: from a native Australian language

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012