ginseng
Americannoun
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any of several plants of the genus Panax, especially P. pseudoginseng, of eastern Asia, or P. qinquefolius, of North America, having an aromatic root used medicinally.
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the root itself.
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a preparation made from it.
noun
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either of two araliaceous plants, Panax schinseng of China or P. quinquefolius of North America, whose forked aromatic roots are used medicinally
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the root of either of these plants or a substance obtained from the roots, believed to possess stimulant, tonic, and energy-giving properties
Etymology
Origin of ginseng
1645–55; < Chinese (Wade-Giles) jên2 shên1, (Pinyin) rén-shēn, equivalent to rén man + shēn name for a kind of herb
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
With her personal information leaked, Lee said she has received several unwelcome calls a day from firms trying to sell her insurance, credit cards and red ginseng.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 16, 2025
Bobo’s remains were eventually found in some woods by ginseng hunters in September 2014.
From Seattle Times • Feb. 27, 2024
The researchers performed chemical extraction on the medicinal plant and identified two new compounds, calling them falcarinphthalide A and B, that were structurally unlike anything previously discovered in female ginseng.
From Science Daily • Feb. 21, 2024
By pairing caffeine with other buzzy active ingredients like ginseng, carnitine, creatine and ginkgo biloba, they position these drinks as enhancers of mental alertness and concentration, too.
From Salon • Jan. 27, 2024
He was fed up with traveling through exotic countries selling shark-fin aphrodisiacs, ginseng to cure all ills, carved Eskimo statues, stuffed Amazonian piranhas, and chinchillas for ladies’ coats.
From "The House of the Spirits: A Novel" by Isabel Allende
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
