Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
The Collaborative International Dictionary
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. [,c][.r][.n]gav["e]ra, prop., hornshaped; ???ga horn + v["e]ra body.]
(Bot.) A plant of the genus Zingiber, of the East and West Indies. The species most known is Zingiber officinale.
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The hot and spicy rootstock of Zingiber officinale, which is much used in cookery and in medicine.
Ginger ale (a) a soft drink flavored with ginger and carbonated. (a) See ginger beer, below.
Ginger beer or Ginger 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 ale (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.
Wiktionary
a. (context Cockney rhyming slang usually used in the shortened form '''ginger''' English) queer (ie, homosexual). n. 1 (context uncountable English) A fermented but non-alcoholic drink flavoured with ginger. 2 (context countable English) A glass or drink of ginger beer. 3 (context Cockney rhyming slang usually used in the shortened form '''ginger''' English) queer (ie, homosexual).
WordNet
n. carbonated slightly alcoholic drink flavored with fermented ginger
Wikipedia
Traditional ginger beer is a naturally sweetened and carbonated, non alcoholic beverage. It is produced by the natural fermentation of prepared ginger spice, yeast and sugar.
Its origins date from the colonial spice trade with the Orient and the sugar producing islands of the Caribbean. It was popular in Britain and its colonies from the 18th century. Other spices were variously added and any alcohol content was limited to 2% by excise tax laws in 1855. Few brewers have maintained an alcoholic product.
Current ginger beers are often manufactured rather than brewed, frequently with flavor and color additives. Ginger ales are not brewed.
Ginger beer is still produced at home using a symbiotic colony of yeast and a Lactobacillus (bacteria) known as a "ginger beer plant".
Ginger beer has experienced a marked increase in popularity in recent years accompanying the popularity of cocktails based on it, such as the Moscow Mule and the Dark 'N' Stormy.
Usage examples of "ginger beer".
They were given bowls of spicy goat stew and glasses of fresh ginger beer.
He sent Swart Hendrick to quarters in the servants wing and then led Lothar and Manfred through to the cool dark central hall where the countess had black bottles of good German beer and jugs of homemade ginger beer already set out for them.
Here Tas sighed and paused to take another drink of ginger beer and to look around the inn once more.
Getting everything to drink you can think of from screech to ginger beer to champagne.
The sea was discoloured and cloudy, like home-made ginger beer, the perfect conditions for the quarry they were seeking.
He went into the kitchen and poured himself a glass of dark rum and Jamaican ginger beer.