ginkgo
UK[ˈɡɪŋkɡəʊ]US[ˈɡɪŋkɡoʊ]
n
A deciduous Chinese tree with fan-shaped leaves and yellow flowers, widely grown as an ornamental or shade tree.
Etymology
The word 'ginkgo' entered English in the late 18th century from Japanese, where 'ginkyō' was a romanized reading of the Chinese characters 銀杏, meaning "silver apricot," a reference to the tree's pale, fruit-like seeds. The Japanese pronunciation itself was borrowed from earlier Chinese dialects. The modern English spelling 'ginkgo' is a result of an early transcription error by the German botanist Engelbert Kaempfer, who misinterpreted the Japanese characters. Thus, the word's journey from a descriptive Chinese compound to its current English form is a direct result of linguistic borrowing and historical accident, rather than a composition of classical morphemes.
Analysis
The word is a simplex loanword. Its spelling is derived from a Japanese romanization of the Chinese characters for the tree's name.
Examples
The ancient ginkgo tree in the temple courtyard turned a brilliant yellow in the autumn.
Ginkgo biloba extract is commonly used in herbal supplements for its purported health benefits.
The distinctive fan-shaped leaves of the ginkgo are easily recognizable.