Apricot first appeared in English in the 16th century as abrecock from the Middle French aubercot or later abricot,[2] from Spanish albaricoque and Catalan a(l)bercoc, in turn from Arabic الْبَرْقُوق‎ (al-barqūq, 'the plums'), from Byzantine Greek βερικοκκίᾱ (berikokkíā, 'apricot tree'), derived from late Greek πραικόκιον (praikókion, 'apricot') from Latin [persica ('peach')] praecocia' (praecoquus, 'early ripening').

[3][4][5] The apricot is a small tree, 8–12 metres (26–39 feet) tall, with a trunk up to 40 centimetres (16 inches) in diameter and a dense, spreading canopy.

The flowers are 2–4.5 cm (3⁄4–1+3⁄4 in) in diameter, with five white to pinkish petals; they are produced singly or in pairs in early spring before the leaves.

The fruit is a drupe (stonefruit) similar to a small peach, 1.5–2.5 cm (1⁄2–1 in) diameter (larger in some modern cultivars), from yellow to orange, often tinged red on the side most exposed to the sun; its surface can be smooth (botanically described as: glabrous) or velvety with very short hairs (botanically: pubescent).

The single seed or "kernel" is enclosed in a hard shell, often called a "stone", with a grainy, smooth texture except for three ridges running down one side.

[8] Taste and aroma compounds include sucrose, glucose, organic acids, terpenes, aldehydes and lactones.

[12] However, this is not supported by genetic studies, which instead confirm the hypothesis proposed by Nikolai Vavilov that domestication of P. armeniaca occurred in Central Asia and China.

[14] Chinese flowering plum (P. mume) is another widely cultivated apricot species native to southern China, usually for ornamental uses.

Hybridization with the closely related Prunus sibirica (Siberian apricot; hardy to −50 °C (−58 °F) but with less palatable fruit) offers options for breeding more cold-tolerant plants.

[22] Other fungal diseases are black knot, Alternaria spot and fruit rot, and powdery mildew.

[23] Unlike peaches, apricots are not affected by leaf curl, and bacterial canker (causing sunken patches in the bark, which then spread and kill the affected branch or tree) and silver leaf are not serious threats, which means that pruning in late winter is considered safe.

In a reference amount of 100 g (3.5 oz), raw apricots supply 48 Calories and are composed of 11% carbohydrates, 1% protein, less than 1% fat, and 86% water (table).

For instance, the classical word 杏 壇 (literally: "apricot altar") (xìng tán 杏坛) which means "educational circle", is still widely used in written language.

Zhuangzi, a Chinese philosopher in the fourth century BC, told a story that Confucius taught his students in a forum surrounded by the wood of apricot trees.

Qamar al-Din is believed to originate in Damascus, Syria, where the variety of apricots most suitable for the drink was first grown.

[41] The Turkish idiom bundan iyisi Şam'da kayısı (literally, "the only thing better than this is an apricot in Damascus") means "it doesn't get any better than this".

[citation needed] In the U.S. Marines it is considered exceptionally bad luck to eat or possess apricots,[42] especially near tanks.