gingerlinen.

Etymology: Probably < French †gingollin, †gingeolin, adjective and noun (1607; 1599 in Middle French as †zizolin ; now zinzolin , denoting a reddish-violet colour), probably < Italian giuggiolena sesame (on account of the violet dye which was obtained from its seeds; < a variant of Arabic juljulān : see gingelly n.), with remodelling after Middle French -ine -ine suffix¹, but probably also influenced by Italian giuggiolino, apparently denoting a colour between red and yellow (1539 or earlier, now rare: see note).Italian giuggiolino , denoting a colour, appears to be < giuggiola jujube berry (13th cent.; apparently < Byzantine Greek ζιζουλά , of unknown origin, perhaps compare Hellenistic Greek ζίζυϕον jujube tree: see zizyphus n. and compare jujube n.) + -ino -ine suffix¹, although it has alternatively been suggested that it derives < giuggiolena sesame (or its Arabic etymon). The origin of the nasal in the first syllable of the French word is uncertain; both assimilation to the final consonant and association with the ultimately related Spanish †genjoli sesame (see gingelly n.) have been suggested. With the use in quot. 1611 compare also Cotgrave (1611) ‘Zizolin..Gingioline colour’. Middle French, French †jugioline sesame (see gingelly n.) appears to show an independent borrowing < Italian. Form history. Some of the English forms may show influence of gingelly n. (compare the variants listed at that entry). When referring to a brownish colour, and in the forms gingirline and gingerline (especially in later use) probably showing folk-etymological association with ginger adj.¹