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

Inflected Forms

noun

• 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

I joyfully practice “urban foraging,” picking blackberries in the Presidio, collecting rosemary and ginkgo nuts under street trees, harvesting apples at the invitation of the trees’ vacationing owners.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 2, 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

By pairing caffeine with other buzzy active ingredients like ginseng, carnitine, creatine and ginkgo biloba, they position these drinks as enhancers of mental alertness and concentration, too.

From Salon • Jan. 27, 2024

On a crisp fall day at Birmingham-Southern College, the students were making their way to class, stealing a few cold minutes under the golden ginkgo trees.

From New York Times • Dec. 27, 2023

I looked through the open window, where, standing on the branch of a ginkgo tree, a male pigeon was examining his misshapen foot.

From "Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris