gin

See also: Gin, GIN, giń, ĝin, gīn, and -gin

English

Etymology 1

Abbreviation of geneva, alteration of Dutch genever (“juniper”) from Old French genevre (modern French genièvre), from Vulgar Latin *ieniperus, from Latin iūniperus (“juniper”). Hence gin rummy (first attested 1941).

Pronunciation

enPR: jĭn, IPA^(key): /d͡ʒɪn/
Audio (US) (file)
Audio (AU) (file)
Rhymes: -ɪn
Homophone: djinn

Noun

gin (countable and uncountable, plural gins)

A colourless non-aged alcoholic liquor made by distilling fermented grains such as barley, corn, oats or rye with juniper berries; the base for many cocktails.
(uncountable) Gin rummy.
(poker) Drawing the best card or combination of cards.
Johnny Chan held jack-nine, and hit gin when a queen-ten-eight board was dealt out.

Derived terms

bathtub gin
gin joint
gin pennant
sloe gin
square gin

Related terms

genever
juniper

Translations

alcoholic beverage

Arabic: جِين‎ m (jīn)
Armenian: ջին (hy) (ǰin)
Belarusian: джын m (džyn)
Bulgarian: джин (bg) m (džin)
Burmese: ဂျင် (my) (gyang)
Catalan: ginebra (ca) f, gin (ca) m
Chinese:
Cantonese: 氈酒, 毡酒 (zin¹ zau²)
Mandarin: 金酒 (zh) (jīn jiǔ)
Czech: gin (cs)
Esperanto: ĝino
Estonian: džinn (et)
Faroese: ginn
Finnish: gini (fi)
French: gin (fr) m
Galician: xenebra f
Georgian: ჯინი (ka) (ǯini)
German: Gin (de) m
Greek: τζιν (el) n (tzin)
Hawaiian: kini
Hebrew: ג׳ין‎ (jin)
Hindi: जिन (hi) (jin)
Icelandic: gin (is) n
Irish: biotáille Ghinéive f, jin m
Italian: gin (it)
Japanese: ジン (ja) (jin)
Khmer: ហ្សីន (žəyn)
Korean: 진 (ko) (jin)
Latvian: džins
Lithuanian: džinas m
Macedonian: џин m (džin)
Malay: gin (ms)
Maori: tīni
Norman: dginne m (Jersey), génèvre m (Jersey)
Polish: dżin (pl) m, gin (pl) m, jałowcówka (pl) f
Portuguese: gim (pt) m
Russian: джин (ru) m (džin)
Scottish Gaelic: sineubhar m
Serbo-Croatian:
Cyrillic: џин m
Roman: džin (sh) m
Slovak: džin m
Spanish: ginebra (es) f
Swahili: jini (sw)
Swedish: gin (sv) c or n
Tagalog: hinebra
Thai: จิน (jin)
Turkish: cin (tr)
Ukrainian: джин m (džyn)
Vietnamese: rượu gin, gin (vi)
Yiddish: דזשין‎ (dzhin)

References

Douglas Harper (2001–2023), “gin”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.
gin in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913

Etymology 2

Partly from Middle English gin, ginne (“cleverness, scheme, talent, device, machine”), from Old French gin, an aphetism of Old French engin (“engine”); and partly from Middle English grin, grine (“snare, trick, stratagem, deceit, temptation, noose, halter, instrument”), from Old English grin, gryn, giren, geren (“snare, gin, noose”).

Pronunciation

enPR: jĭn, IPA^(key): /d͡ʒɪn/
Audio (US) (file)
Rhymes: -ɪn
Homophone: djinn

Noun

gin (plural gins)

(obsolete) A trick; a device or instrument.
- 1387–1400, Geoffrey Chaucer, “The Tale of the Chanons Yeman”, in The Canterbury Tales, [Westminster: William Caxton, published 1478], OCLC 230972125; republished in [William Thynne], editor, The Workes of Geffray Chaucer Newlye Printed, […], [London]: […] [Richard Grafton for] Iohn Reynes […], 1542, OCLC 932884868, folio lxvi, verso:
  […] The hole wyth waxe, to kepe the limayle in / And vnderſtandeth that thys falſe gyn / was not made there […]
  […] the hole with wax to keep the filings in—and understand, this fake device wasn’t made there […] .
(obsolete) A scheme; contrivance; artifice; a figurative trap or snare.
- c. 1503–1512, John Skelton, Ware the Hauke; republished in John Scattergood, editor, John Skelton: The Complete English Poems, 1983, OCLC 8728872, lines 91–94, page 64:
  The church dores were sparred,
  Fast boltyd and barryd,
  Yet wyth a prety gyn
  I fortuned to come in, […]
- 1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book II, Canto III”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, OCLC 960102938:
  treason and deceiptfull gin
A snare or trap for game.
A machine for raising or moving heavy objects, consisting of a tripod formed of poles united at the top, with a windlass, pulleys, ropes, etc.
(mining) A hoisting drum, usually vertical; a whim.
A pile driver.
A windpump.
A cotton gin.
An instrument of torture worked with screws.

Related terms

(cotton gin): ginner, ginnery

Translations

A snare or trap for game

Bulgarian: капан (bg) m (kapan), клопка (bg) f (klopka)
Georgian: მახე (maxe), ხაფანგი (xapangi), სატყუარა (saṭq̇uara)
German: Fangeisen (de) n, Tellereisen (de)
Russian: западня́ (ru) f (zapadnjá), капка́н (ru) m (kapkán), лову́шка (ru) f (lovúška), сило́к (ru) m (silók)

A machine for raising or moving heavy objects

Bulgarian: скрипец m (skripec), лебедка (bg) f (lebedka)
Russian: лебёдка (ru) f (lebjódka), во́рот (ru) (vórot)

Verb

gin (third-person singular simple present gins, present participle ginning, simple past and past participle ginned)

(transitive) To remove the seeds from cotton with a cotton gin.
(transitive) To trap something in a gin.

Derived terms

gin up

Descendants

→ Italian: ginnare

Translations

to remove the seeds from cotton

Irish: scillig
Italian: ginnare (it)
Spanish: desmotar (es)

Etymology 3

Inherited from Middle English ginnen (“to begin”), contraction of beginnen.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ɡɪn/

Verb

gin (third-person singular simple present gins, present participle ginning, simple past gan, past participle gun)

(archaic) To begin.
- 1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tempest”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, [Act III, scene iii], page 14:
  Gon. All three of them are deſperate : their great guilt / (Like poyſon giuen to worke a great time after) / Now gins to bite the ſpirits : […]

Etymology 4

Borrowed from Dharug dyin (“woman”), but having acquired a derogatory tone.[1]

Pronunciation

enPR: jĭn, IPA^(key): /d͡ʒɪn/
Audio (US) (file)
Rhymes: -ɪn
Homophone: djinn

Noun

gin (plural gins)

(Australia, now considered offensive) An Aboriginal woman.
- 1869, Thomas Livingstone Mitchell, Three Expeditions into the Interior of Eastern Australia, Volume 1, page 273,
  His next shot was discharged amongst the mob, and most unfortunately wounded the gin already mentioned ; who, with a child fastened to her back, slid down the bank, and lay, apparently dying, with her legs in the water.
- 1894, Ivan Dexter, Talmud: A Strange Narrative of Central Australia, published in serial form in Port Adelaide News and Lefevre's Peninsula Advertiser (SA), Chapter XXI,
  From my position I could see the gins pointing back, and as the men turned they looked for a moment and then made a wild rush for the entrance.
- 1938, Xavier Herbert, Capricornia, D. Appleton-Century, 1943, Chapter XXI, p. 353,
  How they must have laughed about the strutting of her whose mother was a wanton and aunt a gin!
- 1988, Tom Cole, Hell West and Crooked, Angus & Robertson, 1995, p.179,
  Dad said Shoesmith and Thompson had made one error that cost them their lives by letting the gins into the camp, and the blacks speared them all.
- 2008, Bill Marsh, Jack Goldsmith, Goldie: Adventures in a Vanishing Australia, unnumbered page,
  But there was this gin there, see, what they called a kitchen girl.

Synonyms

lubra

Derived terms

gin burglar
gin burglary
gin hunter
gin jockey
gin shepherd
gin’s piss
gin stealer

Related terms

blackgin

References

R. M. W. Dixon, Australian Aboriginal Words, Oxford University Press, 1990, →ISBN, page 167.

Etymology 5

Cognate to Scots gin (“if”): perhaps from gi(v)en,[1] or a compound in which the first element is from Old English ġif (English if) and the second is cognate to English an (“if”) (compare iffen),[1] or perhaps from again.[1]

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ɡɪn/

Conjunction

gin

(chiefly Scotland, Northern England, Southern US, Appalachia) If.
- 1605, Richard Verstegan, Restitution of Decayed Intelligence, in Antiquities: Concerning the Most Noble, and Renowned English Nation:
  […] for pronouncing according as one would ſay at London I would eat more cheeſe if I had it, the Northern man ſaith, Ay ſuld eat mare cheeſe gin ay hadet, and the Weſterne man ſaith Chud eat more cheeſe an chad it.
- 1804, Robert Couper, Poetry, I. 196:
  Gin the plough rests on the bank, / The loom, the nation, dies.
- 1809, Thomas Donaldson, Poems, 76:
  An' gin I'm weel and can keep sober / You may look for it in October.
- 1815, Robert Anderson, Ballads in the Cumberland dialect, page 152:
  He's get han' and siller, / Gin he fancies me.
- 1860, J. P. K. Shuttleworth, Scarsdale; Or, Life on the Lancashire and Yorkshire Border, Thirty Years Ago, page 158:
  yon felley at Barleigh has wrote farrantly (fairly) to my naunt; gin Robin could bur see ť letter he'd foind no fawt wi' me.
- 1870, John Christopher Atkinson, Lost; or, What came of a slip from 'honour bright'., page 19:
  Wheeah, Ah thinks thee could, gin ye tried.
- 1876, Mrs. George Linnaeus Banks, The Manchester Man, page 15:
  "Aw'd never ha slept i' mi bed gin that little un had bin dreawnded, an' me lookin' on loike a stump. Neay; that lass wur Bess, moi wench. We'n no notion wheer th' lad's mother is." Mr. Clough would have pressed the money upon him, but he put it back with a motion of his han.
- 1880, Banks, Wooers, I. iv:
  […] gin schoo sets off in a tantrum an' flaah's t'mistress wiv her blutherin […]

References

“gin”, in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present.

Anagrams

-ing, -ïng, GNI, IGN, NGI, ing, nig

Czech

Alternative forms

džin

Etymology

From English gin.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): [ˈdʒɪn]
Hyphenation: gin
Rhymes: -ɪn

Noun

gin m inan

gin (alcoholic beverage)

Declension

Declension of gin

	singular	plural
nominative	gin	giny
genitive	ginu	ginů
dative	ginu	ginům
accusative	gin	giny
vocative	gine	giny
locative	ginu	ginech
instrumental	ginem	giny

French

Etymology

Borrowed from English gin.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /dʒin/
Audio (file)
Homophones: djinn, jean

Noun

gin m (plural gins)

gin

Irish

Etymology

From Old Irish gainithir (“is born”), from Proto-Celtic *ganyetor (compare Welsh geni (“be born, bear”)) from Proto-Indo-European *ǵenh₁- (compare English kin, Latin gignō (“beget, bear”), Ancient Greek γίγνομαι (gígnomai, “become”), Sanskrit जनति (janati, “beget”)).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈɟɪnʲ/

Noun

gin f (genitive singular gine, nominative plural ginte)

begetting, birth
fetus
offspring, child, person
generating source

Declension

Declension of gin

Second declension

Bare forms

Case	Singular	Plural
Nominative	gin	ginte
Vocative	a ghin	a ghinte
Genitive	gine	ginte
Dative	gin	ginte

Forms with the definite article

Case	Singular	Plural
Nominative	an ghin	na ginte
Genitive	na gine	na nginte
Dative	leis an ngin don ghin	leis na ginte

Derived terms

aonghin
athghin f (“counterpart”)

Verb

gin (present analytic gineann, future analytic ginfidh, verbal noun giniúint, past participle ginte)

1. give birth to (used only in the autonomous form)
2. germinate, sprout; spring forth; originate
1. beget, procreate
2. generate, produce

Conjugation

First Conjugation (A)

		singular			plural			relative	autonomous
		first	second	third	first	second	third	relative	autonomous
indicative	present	ginim	gineann tú; ginir^†	gineann sé, sí	ginimid	gineann sibh	gineann siad; ginid^†	a ghineann; a ghineas / a ngineann; a ngineas	gintear
	past	ghin mé; ghineas	ghin tú; ghinis	ghin sé, sí	ghineamar; ghin muid	ghin sibh; ghineabhair	ghin siad; ghineadar	a ghin / ar ghin*	gineadh
	past habitual	ghininn / ngininn‡‡	ghinteá / nginteá‡‡	ghineadh sé, sí / ngineadh sé, sí‡‡	ghinimis; ghineadh muid / nginimis‡‡; ngineadh muid‡‡	ghineadh sibh / ngineadh sibh‡‡	ghinidís; ghineadh siad / nginidís‡‡; ngineadh siad‡‡	a ghineadh / a ngineadh*	ghintí / ngintí‡‡
	future	ginfidh mé; ginfead	ginfidh tú; ginfir^†	ginfidh sé, sí	ginfimid; ginfidh muid	ginfidh sibh	ginfidh siad; ginfid^†	a ghinfidh; a ghinfeas / a nginfidh; a nginfeas	ginfear
conditional		ghinfinn / nginfinn‡‡	ghinfeá / nginfeá‡‡	ghinfeadh sé, sí / nginfeadh sé, sí‡‡	ghinfimis; ghinfeadh muid / nginfimis‡‡; nginfeadh muid‡‡	ghinfeadh sibh / nginfeadh sibh‡‡	ghinfidís; ghinfeadh siad / nginfidís‡‡; nginfeadh siad‡‡	a ghinfeadh / a nginfeadh*	ghinfí / nginfí‡‡
subjunctive	present	go ngine mé; go nginead^†	go ngine tú; go nginir^†	go ngine sé, sí	go nginimid; go ngine muid	go ngine sibh	go ngine siad; go nginid^†	—	go ngintear
subjunctive	past	dá ngininn	dá nginteá	dá ngineadh sé, sí	dá nginimis; dá ngineadh muid	dá ngineadh sibh	dá nginidís; dá ngineadh siad	—	dá ngintí
imperative		ginim	gin	gineadh sé, sí	ginimis	ginigí; ginidh^†	ginidís	—	gintear
verbal noun		giniúint
past participle		ginte

* Indirect relative
† Archaic or dialect form
‡‡ Dependent form used with particles that trigger eclipsis

Derived terms

athghin (“regenerate”, verb)

Mutation

Irish mutation
Radical	Lenition	Eclipsis
gin	ghin	ngin
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

References

Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977), “gin”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
G. Toner, M. Ní Mhaonaigh, S. Arbuthnot, D. Wodtko, M.-L. Theuerkauf, editors (2019), “gainithir”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language

Janday

Noun

gin

woman, girl

Japanese

Romanization

gin

Rōmaji transcription of ぎん

Polish

Alternative forms

dżin

Etymology

Borrowed from English gin.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ɡin/
Audio (file)
Rhymes: -in
Syllabification: gin

Noun

gin f

gin (alcoholic beverage)

Declension

Declension of gin

	singular	plural
nominative	gin	giny
genitive	ginu	ginów
dative	ginowi	ginom
accusative	gin	giny
instrumental	ginem	ginami
locative	ginie	ginach
vocative	ginie	giny

Romanian

Etymology

From English gin.

Noun

gin n (plural ginuri)

gin

Declension

Declension of gin

	singular		plural
	indefinite articulation	definite articulation	indefinite articulation	definite articulation
nominative/accusative	(un) gin	ginul	(niște) ginuri	ginurile
genitive/dative	(unui) gin	ginului	(unor) ginuri	ginurilor
vocative	ginule		ginurilor

Scots

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ɡɪn/

Etymology 1

Cognate to dialectal English gin (“if”), which see for more.

Conjunction

gin

if (conditional; subjunctive)
Gin A war ye, A wad gang. ― If I were you, I would go.
- 1778, Alexander Ross, Fortunate Shepherdess, page 124:
  Then says the squire,
  Gin that be all your fear,
  She sanna want a man, for want of gear.
  A thousand pounds a year, well burthen free,
  I mak her sure of, gin she'll gang with me.

Etymology 2

From Old English [Term?].

Preposition

gin

Against; nearby; towards.
gin night ― (please add an English translation of this usage example)

Scottish Gaelic

Etymology

From Old Irish gainithir (“is born”), from Proto-Celtic *ganyetor (compare Welsh geni (“be born, bear”)) from Proto-Indo-European *ǵenh₁- (compare English kin, Latin gignō (“beget, bear”), Ancient Greek γίγνομαι (gígnomai, “become”), Sanskrit जनति (janati, “beget”)).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ɡʲin/

Verb

gin (past ghin, future ginidh, verbal noun gintinn, past participle ginte)

beget, produce, father
create, engender
procreate, reproduce
breed
(computing) generate

Derived terms

ath-ghin

Mutation

Scottish Gaelic mutation
Radical	Lenition
gin	ghin
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

References

Edward Dwelly (1911), “gin”, in Faclair Gàidhlig gu Beurla le Dealbhan [The Illustrated Gaelic–English Dictionary], 10th edition, Edinburgh: Birlinn Limited, →ISBN
G. Toner, M. Ní Mhaonaigh, S. Arbuthnot, D. Wodtko, M.-L. Theuerkauf, editors (2019), “gainithir”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language

Spanish

Etymology

Borrowed from English gin.

Noun

gin m (plural gines)

gin
Synonym: ginebra

Sumerian

Romanization

gin

Romanization of 𒁺 (gin)

Swedish

Etymology

Borrowed from English gin.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /jɪn/ or IPA^(key): /dʒɪn/

Noun

gin c or n

gin (liquor)

Declension

Declension of gin
	Uncountable
	Indefinite	Definite
Nominative	gin	ginen	—	—
Genitive	gins	ginens	—	—

Declension of gin
	Uncountable
	Indefinite	Definite
Nominative	gin	ginet	—	—
Genitive	gins	ginets	—	—

Anagrams

-ing, Ing

Wiradhuri

Noun

gin

Alternative spelling of geen

Yola

Etymology

Compare gin.

Conjunction

gin

if
- 1927, “THE FORTH MAN'S GRACE AFTER A SCANTY DINNER”, in THE ANCIENT DIALECT OF THE BARONIES OF FORTH AND BARGY, COUNTY WEXFORD, line 3:
  Gin we have no mo' maate, it maakes no mo' matter,
  ————————————————————————

References

Kathleen A. Browne (1927) The Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland Sixth Series, Vol.17 No.2, Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland, page 137

Yoruba

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ɡĩ̄/

Verb

gin

(Igbomina) to chip of a small part of something
Synonym: yin
ìyá gin uṣu lé ọmọ lọ́wọ́ ― The mother chipped off a small part of a yam to give to the child
(Igbomina) to trim the edges of something with a razor
babá gin irun ọmọ náà ― The father trimmed the edges of the child's hard

[1] R. M. W. Dixon, Australian Aboriginal Words, Oxford University Press, 1990, →ISBN, page 167.

[Dict-gin-if-2] “gin”, in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present.

gin

English

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

Noun

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

References

Etymology 2

Pronunciation

Noun

Related terms

Translations

Verb

Derived terms

Descendants

Translations

Etymology 3

Pronunciation

Verb

Etymology 4

Pronunciation

Noun

Synonyms

Derived terms

Related terms

References

Etymology 5

Pronunciation

Conjunction

References

Anagrams

Czech

Alternative forms

Etymology

Pronunciation

Noun

Declension

Further reading

French

Etymology

Pronunciation

Noun

Further reading

Irish

Etymology

Pronunciation

Noun

Declension

Derived terms

Verb

Conjugation

Derived terms

Mutation

References

Janday

Noun

Further reading

Japanese

Romanization

Polish

Alternative forms

Etymology

Pronunciation

Noun

Declension

Further reading

Romanian

Etymology

Noun

Declension

Scots

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

Conjunction

Etymology 2

Preposition

Scottish Gaelic

Etymology