noun

gin

jihn

noun

A clear spirit flavoured mainly with juniper berries, used both on its own and in cocktails.

"She ordered a gin and tonic with a slice of lime."

"The recipe uses a splash of gin to sharpen the flavour of the sauce."

A machine that separates cotton fibre from its seeds.

"The cotton gin dramatically sped up the processing of raw cotton in the 1800s."

A trap or snare, especially one used to catch small game.

"The rabbit had been caught in a gin set along the hedgerow."

How to Use Gin

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishMost commonly the juniper-flavoured spirit; also an old word for a mechanical device (like the cotton gin) or a small animal trap.

Common pairings

gin and tonic cotton gin gin rummy

Word Forms

ginned past tense, gan past tense, gun past tense, gins plural, gins plural, gins plural, Gins plural, gins singular, gins singular

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She ordered a _____ and tonic with a slice of lime.

Etymology

The drink's name is a shortened form of "geneva", itself from the Dutch word for juniper — nothing to do with the city of Geneva. The machine/trap sense comes from an older word for a clever device or contraption.

Rhymes for gin

begin login Elgin Fagin virgin origin margin Diggin Buggin

See all rhymes for gin →