galangal

• galingale, galanga

From Middle English galyngale, from Old French galingal, from Arabic خَلَنْجَان (ḵalanjān), from Persian قولنجان (qulenjân, qulanjân), from Sanskrit कुलञ्जन (kulañjana), perhaps from Chinese 高良薑／高良姜 (gāoliángjiāng), from 高涼／高凉 (Gāoliáng) (a prefecture or county in China) + 薑／姜 (jiāng, “ginger”).

• IPA^(key): /ɡəˈlæŋɡəl/

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galangal (countable and uncountable, plural galangals)

1. Any of several east Asian plants of genera Alpinia and Kaempferia in the ginger family, used as a spice, but principally Alpinia galanga.
   • 2008, Carol Selva Rajah, David Thompson, Heavenly Fragrance‎, page 144:

     The refreshing aroma of galangal acts in combination with and as a contrast to lemongrass in many recipes in this book.

   • 2023 July 15, Rachel Cooke, “No, Nigella – dinner parties are great. Deliveroo just doesn’t cut it”, in The Observer‎, →ISSN:

     Another time, she dined in Hampstead, where she was fed a version of stargazy pie with a whole squid where the eel should have been. It was flavoured, for the full medieval effect, with galangal, which her hostess described as “kind of like frankincense”.

• greater galangal (Alpinia galanga)
• lesser galangal (Alpinia officinarum)

• galangal on Wikipedia.Wikipedia