gingko

gink·go also ging·ko

(gĭng'kō)

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).]

ging·ko Audio Help (gĭng'kō)

n. Variant of ginkgo.

(Download Now or Buy the Book)
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.