David RobertsJohn SkowAmerican WestKathy A. FackelmannJeff Williams
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Though more common as an adverb meaning “very cautiously and carefully,” as in “moving gingerly across the icy pond,” gingerly has for more than four centuries functioned both as an adverb and as an adjective. Etymologists take a gingerly approach to assigning any particular origins to gingerly. While it might have come from the name of the spice, there’s nothing concrete to back up that idea. Another theory is that it’s related to an Old French word, gençor, meaning “prettier” or “more beautiful,” with evidence being that in 16th century English an earlier sense of gingerly often described dancing or walking done with dainty steps. It wasn’t until the 17th century that gingerly was applied to movements done with caution in order to avoid being noisy or causing injury, and to a wary manner in handling or presenting ideas.
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Examples of gingerly in a Sentence
Kendall Karson, ABC News, 7 Mar. 2021
All the while, amid the unpacking of groceries and food prep and reminiscing, the group addresses in gingerly fashion the subject of Rose’s cancer.
—Alexandra Enders, The New York Review of Books, 26 May 2020
John Kell, Forbes, 23 Oct. 2024
The team then gingerly extracted it without shattering the bones.
—Domenica Bongiovanni, The Indianapolis Star, 16 Oct. 2024
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Dictionary Entries Near gingerly
Cite this Entry
“Gingerly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gingerly. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
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gingerly
adverb
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