ginkgo

or ging·ko

[ ging-koh, jing- ]

noun,plural gink·goes.
  1. a large shade tree, Ginkgo biloba, native to China, having fan-shaped leaves and fleshy seeds with edible kernels: the sole surviving species of the gymnosperm family Ginkgoaceae, which thrived in the Jurassic Period, and existing almost exclusively in cultivation.

Origin of ginkgo

1
1765–75; < NL representation of Japanese ginkyō, equivalent to gin silver (<Chinese ) + kyō apricot (< Chin)

Words Nearby ginkgo

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British Dictionary definitions for ginkgo

ginkgo

gingko (ˈɡɪŋkəʊ)

/ (ˈɡɪŋkɡəʊ) /


nounplural -goes or -koes
  1. a widely planted ornamental Chinese gymnosperm tree, Ginkgo biloba, with fan-shaped deciduous leaves and fleshy yellow fruit: phylum Ginkgophyta . It is used in herbal remedies and as a food supplement: Also called: maidenhair tree

Origin of ginkgo

1
C18: from Japanese ginkyō, from Ancient Chinese yin silver + hang apricot

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for ginkgo

ginkgo

  1. A deciduous, dioecious tree (Ginkgo biloba) which is the sole surviving member of the Ginkgoales, an order of gymnosperms that was extremely widespread in the Mesozoic era. It belongs to a genus which has changed very little since the end of the Jurassic period. The tree, a native of China, has fan-shaped leaves and fleshy yellowish seeds containing an edible kernel. Ginkgoes are often grown as ornamental street trees.

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