Gier-eagle, s. obs. An eagle of a particular kind.
Gig, s. Anything that is whirled round in play; a two-wheeled vehicle; a light boat.
Gigot, s. The hip joint.
Gill, s. A measure of liquids containing the fourth part of a pint.
Gills, s. The aperture at each side of the fish’s head; the flaps that hang below the beak of a fowl; the flesh under the chin.
Gimp, s. A kind of silk twist used in angling.
Gin, s. The spirit drawn by distillation from juniper berries and wheat. The Hollands Geneva is principally distilled in the neighbourhood of Rotterdam; English is produced from the oil of turpentine and malt spirits.
Ginger, s. An Indian root; the flower consists of five petals, shaped like those of the iris.
There are two sorts kept in the shops; the black and the white ginger: the latter is stronger, and preferred for culinary purposes, on account of its more pleasant flavour, but the former is considered cheaper, easily powdered, and more frequently used as a horse medicine.
I consider ginger as the most useful stimulant in the veterinary materia medica: when joined with aromatics, such as allspice, caraway seed, aniseed, cummin seed, &c., or their essential oils, it forms an efficacious cordial, and with emetic tartar and opium an excellent diaphoretic, for giving gloss to the coat, and relaxing the skin. Joined with bitters, it makes a good stomachic; with squills an expectorant, often relieving obstinate coughs.