gingerbread
[ jin-jer-bred ]
/ ˈdʒɪn dʒərˌbrɛd /
noun
a type of cake flavored with ginger and molasses.
a rolled cookie similarly flavored, often cut in fanciful shapes, and sometimes frosted.
elaborate, gaudy, or superfluous architectural ornamentation: a series of gables embellished with gingerbread.
adjective
heavily, gaudily, and superfluously ornamented: a gingerbread style of architecture.
Origin of gingerbread
1250–1300; Middle English
gingebreed (influenced by
breed bread), variant of
gingebrad, -brat ginger paste < Old French
gingembras, -brat preserved ginger < Medieval Latin
*gingi(m)brātum a medicinal preparation (neuter past participle), derivative of Latin
gingiber
ginger
OTHER WORDS FROM gingerbread
gin·ger·bread·y, adjectiveWords nearby gingerbread
ginger jar,
ginger lily,
ginger nut,
ginger up,
ginger wine,
gingerbread,
gingerbread palm,
gingerbread plum,
gingerbread tree,
gingerly,
gingerroot
Example sentences from the Web for gingerbread
British Dictionary definitions for gingerbread
gingerbread
/ (ˈdʒɪndʒəˌbrɛd) /
noun
a moist brown cake, flavoured with ginger and treacle or syrup
- a rolled biscuit, similarly flavoured, cut into various shapes and sometimes covered with icing
- (as modifier)gingerbread man
- an elaborate but unsubstantial ornamentation
- (as modifier)gingerbread style of architecture