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)

Example Sentences

The sun was bright, the temperatures hovered in the upper-60s, and leaves of maple, oak, aspen and ginkgo trees colored the city with splashes of yellow, orange and red.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 16, 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

"A ginkgo tree supports virtually none of our native insects or birds," he said.

From Science Daily • Dec. 1, 2023

When he points, I train my camera on the knotty dead trunks of Japanese maples and the cherry and ginkgo trees—gnarled limbs reaching toward blue sky.

From "Love, Hate & Other Filters" by Samira Ahmed