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wild ginger
noun
: any of a genus (Asarum) of perennial low-growing herbs of the birthwort family with an aromatic rhizome and usually cordate leaves
Examples of wild ginger in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The aromatic stems of wild ginger, called tepus; baskets of juicy sago worm, known as ulat mulong; and bunches of twirling jungle fern, or midin, found in Kuching’s wet markets barely scratch the surface, said Mina Trang-Witte, 65.
—Rebecca Tan, Washington Post, 22 Mar. 2024
Alfredo Payaguaje, a Secoya herbalist, described the functions of each plant—an herb called umu’co, or cat’s claw, to help with fever; a wild ginger to relieve a cough; the bitter bark of the cinchona tree, full of quinine, to alleviate inflammation.
—Rachel Riederer, The New Yorker, 11 Dec. 2020
If native ferns and wildflowers such as bloodroot, wild ginger, trillium, and foamflower thrive in your shade garden, conditions are probably good for ginseng.
—Rita Pelczar, Better Homes & Gardens, 12 Dec. 2022
Majid spent weeks with them foraging for wild ginger, and toddling across broad river stones as butterflies that looked as big as dragons swooped overhead.
—Abigail Tucker, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 Sep. 2022
The considerable frozen section is a go-to for hard-to-source items like jute leaves, cha-om leaf shoots and krachai, a wild ginger root used in many Thai dishes.
—Lauren McDowell, Chron, 17 Aug. 2022
Even those which do favor carrion, fungus or rotting fruit serve as important pollinators for several of our native plants like pawpaw, wild ginger, and Jack-in-the-pulpit.
—Miri Talabac, Baltimore Sun, 15 June 2022
This perennial, commonly known as wild ginger, prefers light to deep shade.
—Lauren Smith McDonough, House Beautiful, 25 May 2022
In Waukesha, Linder said her blended gardens lean cottage style but also include a variety of woodland natives including wild geranium, mayapple, bloodroot, wild ginger and both red and white trillium.
—Jennifer Rude Klett, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 5 May 2022
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'wild ginger.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1804, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near wild ginger
Cite this Entry
“Wild ginger.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wild%20ginger. Accessed 17 Jun. 2024.
Medical Definition
wild ginger
noun
: a North American perennial herb of the genus Asarum (A. canadense) whose dried rhizome is used in pharmacology see asarum sense 2
More from Merriam-Webster on wild ginger
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about wild ginger
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