The Collaborative International Dictionary
Apricot \A"pri*cot\, n. [OE. apricock, abricot, F. abricot, fr. Sp. albaricoque or Pg. albricoque, fr. Ar. albirq[=u]q, al-burq[=u]q. Though the E. and F. form abricot is derived from the Arabic through the Spanish, yet the Arabic word itself was formed from the Gr. praiko`kia, pl. (Diosc. c. 100) fr. L. praecoquus, praecox, early ripe. The older E. form apricock was prob. taken direct from Pg. See Precocious, Cook.] (Bot.) A fruit allied to the plum, of an orange color, oval shape, and delicious taste; also, the tree ( Prunus Armeniaca of Linn[ae]us) which bears this fruit. By cultivation it has been introduced throughout the temperate zone.
Wikipedia
Prunus armeniaca ("Armenian plum"), the most commonly cultivated apricot species, also called ansu apricot, Siberian apricot, Tibetan apricot, is a species of Prunus, classified with the plum in the subgenus Prunus. The native range is somewhat uncertain due to its extensive prehistoric cultivation, though almost certainly somewhere in Asia. It is extensively cultivated in many countries and has escaped into the wild in many places.