Merriam-Webster's Collegiate® Dictionary, 11th Edition
GIN
I. verb (gan; ginning)
Etymology: Middle English ginnen, short for beginnen
Date: 13th century
begin ,
II. noun see: engine
Date: 13th century
any of various tools or mechanical devices: as, a snare or trap for game, cotton gin ,
III. transitive verb (ginned; ginning)
Date: 1606
snare , to separate (cotton fiber) from seeds and waste material, to come up with ; generate , ginner noun
IV. conjunction
Etymology: perhaps by contraction from dialect gif if + an if
Date: 1580
if ,
V. noun
Etymology: by shortening & alteration from geneva
Date: 1713
a colorless alcoholic beverage made from distilled or redistilled neutral grain spirits flavored with juniper berries and aromatics (as anise and caraway seeds),
2. gin rummy , the act of laying down a full hand of matched cards in gin rummy, ginny adjective