[ging-koh, jing-] 
| 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. |
gink·go also ging·ko (gĭng'kō)  (click for larger image in new window) n. pl. gink·goes also ging·koes A deciduous, dioecious tree (Ginkgo biloba) native to China and having fan-shaped leaves and fleshy yellowish seeds with a disagreeable odor. The male plants are often grown as ornamental street trees. Also called maidenhair tree. [Probably from ginkō, an artificial or mistaken Sino-Japanese reading of the Chinese characters for ginkgo : Japanese gin, silver (from Middle Chinese ŋin) + Japanese kō, kyō, apricot (from Middle Chinese).] |
| ginkgo also gingko (gĭng'kō) Pronunciation Key
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 a edible kernel. Ginkgoes are often grown as ornamental street trees. |