Gingerbread Definition

Origin of Gingerbread

• 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 intrusive m from medieval Latin gingiber, ginger. The third syllable was early confounded with bread, and the insertion of an r in the second syllable completed the semblance of a compound word.

  From Wiktionary

• Middle English gingebred a stiff pudding, preserved ginger alteration (influenced by bred, bread bread) of Old French gingembrat from Medieval Latin gingibrātum from gingiber ginger ginger

  From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition