ginkgo

American  

[ging-koh, jing-] / ˈgɪŋ koʊ, ˈdʒɪŋ- /

Or gingko

noun

• ginkgoes
  plural

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.

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ginkgo British  

/ ˈɡɪŋkɡəʊ, ˈɡɪŋkəʊ /

noun

1. Also called: maidenhair tree.  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

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ginkgo Scientific  

/ gĭng′kō /

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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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• ginkgoes
  plural

Etymology

Origin of ginkgo

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

Explanation

A ginkgo is a Chinese tree with yellow flowers and fan-shaped leaves. These trees have been around since the dinosaurs roamed the earth, and now are often planted for decoration or used medicinally. A ginkgo, also called ginkgo biloba, is a tree that doesn’t look much like any other. It’s the best known of Chinese trees, a deciduous conifer that is also a living fossil. These days, ginkgos are mostly cultivated, not wild, and they are often decorative trees planted on the street. The word ginkgo passed through Japanese before getting to English, but the Chinese name means “silver apricot.” The misspelling gingko is common because it resembles the pronunciation.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

ginkgo ginkgoes

In Leung's latest film, "Silent Friend" -- his first outing in a fully European production -- a ginkgo tree plays a central role.

From Barron's ● Jun. 19, 2026

The first two tell of young people, restless in their curiosity; the third is of an older, wiser man, and Mr. Leung delivers a performance of quiet gravity worthy of the ginkgo itself.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 7, 2026

One striking piece to note is a Claude Lalanne ginkgo bench, which is meant to reflect Monsieur Dior’s early days as a gallerist.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 10, 2025

First come her ears, floating like ginkgo leaves.

From New York Times ● Mar. 21, 2024

“He used to dress up like a ginkgo tree for Halloween. That was his thing. I don’t know if that’s really awesome, or really sad.”

From "We'll Fly Away" by Bryan Bliss

They reproduce via seeds, as do the evolutionarily older gymnosperms, which include pine trees, ginkgoes, and others.

From Science Magazine ● May 26, 2021

There were familiar campus ginkgoes, cedars in Brooklyn, polypore mushrooms climbing a tree in Utah.

From New York Times ● Mar. 28, 2020

“But ginkgoes form the scar across all their stems at once,” the Atlantic wrote.

From Washington Post ● Nov. 14, 2019

Around us, paulownia and ginkgoes swayed in the wind.

From The New Yorker ● Oct. 8, 2018

The cyeads and ginkgoes have shrunk into thin survivors of the luxuriant Mesozoic groves.

From The Story of Evolution by Joseph McCabe