gin
The alcoholic spirit is the most common modern usage, evoking a crisp, botanical profile associated with cocktails and social drinking. It is distinct from other spirits due to its specific flavoring with juniper berries. In industrial and mechanical contexts, the term refers to specialized machinery. The cotton gin is a historically significant invention that fundamentally altered agricultural labor and textile production. Other mechanical senses, such as hoists or traps, are more specialized and less frequent in contemporary daily speech.
Meanings
A clear alcoholic spirit distilled from grain and flavored with juniper berries.
"He ordered a gin and tonic with a slice of lime."
A mechanical device used for gripping, holding, or lifting heavy objects, such as a hoist or a clamp.
"The construction crew used a gin to lift the heavy beams into place."
A machine used for removing seeds or fibers from a plant, particularly a cotton gin.
"The invention of the cotton gin revolutionized the textile industry in the American South."