gingerly

Meaning

Adv

1. In a cautious and delicate manner; (very) carefully or cautiously.
2. (obsolete) Chiefly of dancing or walking: done with small, dainty steps; daintily; also, with excessive delicacy; affectedly, mincingly.

Adj

1. Often of movements: very careful, cautious, or delicate.
2. (obsolete) Often of a person or the way they move: dainty, delicate; also, excessively delicate; affected, mincing.

Synonyms

cautiously

carefully

cautious

fearfully

closely

forehanded

gingery

guarded

nervously

noncommittal

offish

prudent

qualified

reserved

timidly

uncommunicative

undemonstrative

wary

with great caution

chary of

canny

precautionarily

careful

chary

circumspectly

Translations

précautionneusement

behutsam

cauteloso

voorzichtig

yavaşça

tedbirli

yavaş

επιφυλακτικός

cautamente

recatado

ihtiyatlı

behoedzaam

avec précaution

vorsichtig

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈdʒɪn(d)ʒəli/

Etymology

The second element is -ly; the first element may be Anglo-Norman gençur or Old French gençor, gensor, comparative forms (also attested as positives) of gent (“beautiful, noble, pleasant, courteous”). The Oxford English Dictionary notes, however, that there is a gap of a few centuries between the last appearance of gençor, etc., and the first appearance of gingerly.
The adjective is derived from the adverb, possibly because -ly is also a suffix forming adjectives.