Skip to main content
gingerol

gingerol

1 7.7
A substance in ginger that gives it a strong spicy taste and smell
  • noun
  • /ˈdʒɪŋɡərɒl/
  • Specialized
: gingerol
  • Ginger and licorice, which contain gingerol and glycyrrhizins (respectively), are known to fight inflammation.

Examples

  • "Aframomum contains compounds called gingerols, which are chemically similar to other anti-inflammatory compounds," he says.

    Academic text (2007)
  • In cooking, gingerol enhances the flavor of dishes while providing anti-inflammatory properties.

  • The health benefits of ginger are largely attributed to its high concentration of gingerol.

Surface Forms

gingerol singular
gingerols plural

Morphology

gingerol = ginger (semi-transparent) = ginger + ol

The relation to 'ginger' is clear, but the suffix '-ol' is a technical chemical marker (alcohol) that many learners may not recognize, so the exact meaning is not fully derivable.

Etymology

Gingerol comes from ginger and the chemical ending -ol, where -ol marks a kind of 'alcohol' in chemistry. So, gingerol is the chemical in ginger that makes it taste and smell spicy.