gingerbread

/ˈd͡ʒɪn.(d͡)ʒəˌbɹɛd/

Etymology

From Middle English gyngebred, gyngebrede, from Old French gingembras, gingimbrat (“preserved ginger”), from Medieval Latin *gingimbrātus (“gingered”, presumably referring to ginger that perhaps had a pharmaceutical use for some medicinal preparation), with the intrusive m added to gingiber, from Latin zingiber (“ginger”), of earlier Sanskrit origin, through Ancient Greek ζιγγίβερις (zingíberis). The third syllable was earlier confounded with bread, and the insertion of an r in the second syllable completed the semblance of a compound word: ginger + bread.

noun

  1. A type of cake whose main flavoring is ginger.
  2. Something ersatz; something showy but insubstantial.
  3. A flamboyant Victorian-era architectural style.“For a time modern architects took a starkly functional approach to the design of houses, emphasizing clean, uncluttered lines and rejecting most forms of wall ornamentation as dust-catching gingerbread.”

verb

  1. To decorate or embellish in an ornate or intricate way.