English
gingerbread
Gingerbread comes from Old French gingembras, from Medieval Latin *gingimbrātus ‘gingered’, and ultimately from Sauraseni Prakrit 𑀲𑀺𑀁𑀕𑀺𑀯𑁂𑀭.
- Sauraseni Prakritmodern𑀲𑀺𑀁𑀕𑀺𑀯𑁂𑀭
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEζιγγίβεριςzingíberis‘ginger’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEzingiber‘ginger’
- Medieval Latinc. 600–1500*gingimbrātus‘gingered’reconstructed
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400gingembras
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500gyngebred‘ginger’
- Englishearliest quotation 1980gingerbread
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Sauraseni Prakritmodern𑀲𑀺𑀁𑀕𑀺𑀯𑁂𑀭
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEζιγγίβεριςzingíberis‘ginger’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEzingiber‘ginger’
- Medieval Latinc. 600–1500*gingimbrātus‘gingered’reconstructed
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400gingembras
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500gyngebred‘ginger’
- Englishearliest quotation 1980gingerbread
Earliest quotation: 1980, Robert M. Jones, Walls and Ceilings: “For a time modern architects took a starkly functional…”
The story
From Middle English gyngebred, gyngebrede, from Old French gingembras, gingimbrat (‘preserved ginger’), from Medieval Latin *gingimbrātus (“gingered”, presumably referring to ginger that perhaps had a pharmaceutical use for some medicinal preparation), with the intrusive m added to gingiber, from Latin zingiber (‘ginger’), of earlier Sanskrit origin, through Ancient Greek ζιγγίβερις (zingíberis). The third syllable was earlier confounded with bread, and the insertion of an r in the second syllable completed the semblance of a compound word: ginger + bread.
Every English word from Sauraseni Prakrit 𑀲𑀺𑀁𑀕𑀺𑀯𑁂𑀭
Today it means
noun A type of cake whose main flavoring is ginger.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Sauraseni Prakrit 𑀲𑀺𑀁𑀕𑀺𑀯𑁂𑀭 / gingerbread