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gal·an·gal

(gălən-găl′, gə-lănggəl)

1. Either of two plants (Alpinia galanga or A. officinarum) of eastern Asia, having pungent, aromatic rhizomes used medicinally and as seasoning.

2. The dried roots of either of these plants. In both senses also called galingale.

[Middle English galingale, from Old French galingal, garingal, from Medieval Latin galinga, galanga, from Arabic ḫalunjān, ḫūlunjān, from Persian ḫūlanjān; probably akin to Sanskrit kulañjaḥ, kulañjanaḥ, galangal (A. galanga).]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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