with extreme care or delicacy; "they proceeded with gingerly footwork over the jagged stones"; "the issue was handled only in a gingerly way"- W S White
If you do something gingerly, you do it in a careful manner, usually because you expect it to be dangerous, unpleasant, or painful. I drove gingerly past the security check points. = cautiously. if you move gingerly, or touch something gingerly, you do it in a slow careful way, because you are afraid it will be dangerous or painful = carefully (Perhaps from gensor , from gent )