ginkgo

American  

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

Or gingko

noun

plural

ginkgoes

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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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

It is a ginkgo tree—stoic, though perhaps sensitive, and in either case abiding.

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

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

Anyway, I missed everything about our old neighborhood, even the ginkgo trees.

From "Auggie & Me" by R. J. Palacio