gingervitis

G2I1N1G2E1R1V4I1T1I1S1

noun

The condition of being ginger (having reddish-brown hair), treated as if it were a disease or affliction.

OriginEnglish gingivitis ← Latin gingīva ← Middle English gingere →
Scrabble 16
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Meanings

noungingervitis (uncountable)
  1. derogatoryhumorousslanguncountableThe condition of being ginger (having reddish-brown hair), treated as if it were a disease or affliction.

    Perhaps a very old ginger person who hadn't quite lost all their gingervitis?'

    2012 August 16, Twenty Major, The Order of the Phoenix Park, Hachette Ireland, →ISBN
    3 more examples

    After all 96.4% of each of you Gingers infected with the Gingervitis disease know full well that you are unattractive creatures, which I believe results in your intense fear of exposing yourselves in public.

    2008 07, Christopher G. Wilkinson, Rubber Room Semantics, iUniverse, →ISBN, page 223

    ... gingerphobe and you don't like us We'll stand up to the fight if you wanna fight us But if you cut yourself you might catch gingervitis So maybe you should shut your fucking mouth Yeah, only a ginger can call another ginger ginger,[…]

    2012 October 4, Amnesty International, The Very Best of The Secret Policeman's Ball, Canongate Books, →ISBN

    Gingervitis, according to Cartman, “causes very light skin, red hair, and freckles” and happens naturally because “ginger kids have no souls.” He compares reds to vampires, calls the ginger gene a curse, and encourages the class to rid[…]

    2017 August 22, Erin La Rosa, The Big Redhead Book: Inside the Secret Society of Red Hair, St. Martin's Griffin, →ISBN

Origin

  1. Proto-Dravidian*wēr
  2. Sauraseni Prakrit𑀲𑀺𑀁𑀕𑀺𑀯𑁂𑀭 (siṃgivera)
  3. Ancient Greekζιγγίβερις (zingíberis)
  4. Latinzingiberi
  5. Late Latingingiber
  6. Proto-West Germanic*gingiberō
  7. Old Englishgingifer
  8. Old Frenchgingembreinflu.
  9. Middle Englishgingivere
  10. Middle Englishgingere
  11. Englishginger
  12. Latingingīva
  13. Englishgingiva
  14. Englishgingivitis
  15. Englishgingervitis

Blend of ginger + gingivitis. Coined in the South Park episode "Ginger Kids" (season 9, episode 11), which aired November 9, 2005.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

gingervitis. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/gingervitis

MLA

“gingervitis.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/gingervitis. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “gingervitis,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/gingervitis.

Source: gingervitis on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.