gin
1[ jin ]
/ dʒɪn /
Save This Word!
noun
an alcoholic liquor obtained by distilling grain mash with juniper berries.
an alcoholic liquor similar to this, made by redistilling spirits with flavoring agents, especially juniper berries, orange peel, angelica root, etc.
QUIZ
CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?
There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?
Question 1 of 7
Which sentence is correct?
Origin of gin
1First 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
gin , jinnOther definitions for gin (2 of 6)
gin2
[ jin ]
/ dʒɪn /
noun
cotton gin: Did Whitney's invention of the gin actually enable an expansion in the slave trade?
a trap or snare for game: They learned how to devise a simple gin for catching rabbits and quail and such.
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.
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.
to clear (cotton) of seeds with a gin: The weather's fine today for ginning cotton.
to snare (game): Hey! Looks like you ginned a woodcock.
Origin of gin
2First 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, nounOther definitions for gin (3 of 6)
gin3
[ gin ]
/ gɪn /
verb (used with or without object), gan [gan], /gæn/, gun [guhn], /gʌn/, gin·ning.
Archaic. to begin: At twilight, gin we our leave.
Origin of gin
3First 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 ]
/ dʒɪn /
noun
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.
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.
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
4First 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 ]
/ gɪn /
conjunction Chiefly Scot. and Southern Appalachian.
if; whether: It's a beast of a river to cross, gin ye dare.
Other definitions for gin (6 of 6)
gin6
or jin
[ jin ]
/ dʒɪn /
noun Australian Informal: Offensive.
an Aboriginal woman.
an Aboriginal wife.
Origin of gin
6First 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. 2023
How to use gin in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for gin (1 of 5)
gin1
/ (dʒɪn) /
noun
an alcoholic drink obtained by distillation and rectification of the grain of malted barley, rye, or maize, flavoured with juniper berries
any of various grain spirits flavoured with other fruit or aromatic essencessloe gin
an alcoholic drink made from any rectified spirit
Word Origin for gin
C18: shortened from Dutch genever juniper, via Old French from Latin jūniperus juniper
British Dictionary definitions for gin (2 of 5)
gin2
/ (dʒɪn) /
noun
a primitive engine in which a vertical shaft is turned by horses driving a horizontal beam or yoke in a circle
Also called: cotton gin a machine of this type used for separating seeds from raw cotton
a trap for catching small mammals, consisting of a noose of thin strong wire
a hand-operated hoist that consists of a drum winder turned by a crank
verb gins, ginning or ginned (tr)
to free (cotton) of seeds with a gin
to trap or snare (game) with a gin
Derived forms of gin
ginner, nounWord Origin for gin
C13 gyn, shortened from engine
British Dictionary definitions for gin (3 of 5)
British Dictionary definitions for gin (4 of 5)
gin4
/ (ɡɪn) /
conjunction
Scot if
Word Origin for gin
perhaps related to gif, an earlier form of if
British Dictionary definitions for gin (5 of 5)
gin5
/ (dʒɪn) /
noun
Australian offensive, slang an Aboriginal woman
Word Origin for gin
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