2968: Ginger—Not Zinger Feb 5, 2025

In Latin, the letter <Z> was moved to the end of the alphabet because it was seen as foreign, despite being inherited from the Greek equivalent like all the rest of the letters, and where <ζ> came seventh. This means when you do see it in Latin, like in the word ‘zingiberi’ (i.e. ‘ginger’), you can make a sure bet that it is not native. 

In this case, it comes from Greek zingíberis (ζιγγίβερις). These forms ultimately derive from Sanskrit śṛṅgavēra (शृङ्गवेर), meaning "horn-shaped," a reference to the root's knobby appearance, likely formed from śṛṅga (horn) and vēra (body, root). It was changed to a <g> in Old French, ironically where <z> was more common, and this is what English inherited.