genus Zingiber

9.3

A group of tropical Asian and Pacific plants like ginger with aromatic underground stems

noun
/ˈdʒɛnəs ˈzɪŋɪbər/

Specialized

: género Zingiber

Ginger, a well-known spice, belongs to the genus Zingiber.

Examples

Many species within the genus Zingiber are cultivated for their aromatic rhizomes.
The genus Zingiber is native to tropical regions of Asia and Polynesia.
The genus Zingiber includes many species of ginger.
Many plants in the genus Zingiber are used in cooking.
Ginger, a well-known spice, belongs to the genus Zingiber.
Many species within the genus Zingiber are cultivated for their aromatic rhizomes.
The genus Zingiber is native to tropical regions of Asia and Polynesia.

Surface Forms

genus Zingiber singular

genera Zingiber plural

Morphology

genus + Zingiber

The phrase combines 'genus' (a biological rank) with the taxonomic name 'Zingiber', so its meaning — the biological genus called Zingiber — follows directly from the constituents. Even if a learner doesn't know that Zingiber refers to ginger, the compositional pattern 'genus + name' is cross-linguistically common and thus readily understandable to someone who knows the parts.

Etymology

Genus Zingiber comes from old Asian words for 'ginger', and the word Zingiber likely meant 'horn-shaped' because the ginger root looks a little like a small horn. That's why the name refers to plants like 'ginger' that are grown for their spicy, fragrant roots.