ginseng
/ˈd͡ʒɪnsɛŋ/ noun
Forms ginsengs genseng gingseng ginsing jinseng jin-seng
- noun Any plant of two species of the genus Panax (Panax ginseng and Panax quinquefolius), having forked roots supposed to have medicinal and aphrodisiac properties.
- noun The root of such a plant, or an extract of these roots.
Synonyms
Etymology
Borrowed from Hokkien 人參 /人参 (jîn-sim, “ginseng”). Doublet of ninzin.
Webster’s 1913
- noun A plant of the genus Aralia, the root of which is highly valued as a medicine among the Chinese. The Chinese plant (Aralia Schinseng) has become so rare that the American (A. quinquefolia) has largely taken its place, and its root is now an article of export from America to China. The root, when dry, is of a yellowish white color, with a sweetness in the taste somewhat resembling that of licorice, combined with a slight aromatic bitterness.
Etymology [Chinese.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “ginseng”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details