Dictionary Home » Dictionary Definitions » ginkgo

ginkgo

(giŋ′kō; also giŋk′gō′)

an Asiatic tree (Ginkgo biloba) with fan-shaped leaves and fleshy, yellow, foul-smelling seeds enclosing a silvery, edible inner kernel: the only living member of a class (Ginkgoatae) of gymnosperms

Origin: Jpn ginkyo < Sino-Jpn gin, silver + kyō, apricot

See ginkgo in American Heritage Dictionary 4

also ging·ko

noun pl. gink·goes also ging·koes

A deciduous, dioecious tree (Ginkgo biloba) native to China and having fan-shaped leaves and fleshy yellowish seeds with a disagreeable odor. The male plants are often grown as ornamental street trees. Also called maidenhair tree.

Origin:

Origin: Probably from ginkō, an artificial or mistaken Sino-Japanese reading of the Chinese characters for ginkgo

Origin: : Japanese gin, silver (from Middle Chinese ᶇin)

Origin: + Japanese kō, kyō, apricot (from Middle Chinese)

(click for a larger image)