lychee

noun

ly·​chee ˈlē-(ˌ)chē  ˈlī- 

variants or litchi or less commonly lichee

1

or lychee nut or litchi nut or less commonly lichee nut : the small, oval to roundish fruit of a Chinese tree (Litchi chinensis) of the soapberry family having a rough or warty, yellow, pink, or reddish leathery rind and sweet to slightly acidic usually whitish edible flesh that surrounds a single large seed

Note: The lychee, grown commercially in tropical and subtropical regions, is a type of fruit called a drupe, and its edible flesh is the fruit's aril.

2

: a slow-growing tree that bears lychees and has glossy, leathery leaves and terminal clusters of tiny, apetalous, greenish-white to yellow flowers

Examples of lychee in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Once again, Gan links inner with outer artfully, lacing silky mung bean paste with bursts of lychee fruit and dustings of rose petal fragments. —Ingu Chen, Vogue, 17 Sep. 2024

This year the brand gathered their loyal crowd at Mr. Chow’s Midtown location, where lychee martinis were the drink of choice. —Leigh Nordstrom, WWD, 10 Sep. 2024

One cup of lychee delivers 0.281 mg of copper (31% of the DV) and 136 mg of vitamin C (151% of the DV).431 12. —Johna Burdeos, Health, 6 Aug. 2024

The light dishes fuse South American, Asian and Mediterranean flavors, like the prawn and sea bream ceviche with lychee, white pomelo and bergamot gel (€18). —Chloé Braithwaite, New York Times, 25 July 2024

Word History

Etymology

Chinese (Beijing) lìzhī

First Known Use

1588, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

lychee

noun

ly·​chee

variants or litchi also lichee

ˈlē-(ˌ)chē,

ˈlī-

1

: the oval fruit of a Chinese tree related to the soapberries and having a hard reddish outer covering and sweet whitish edible flesh surrounding a single large seed

called also lychee nut

2

: a tree bearing lychees

Etymology

from Chinese lìzhī "lychee"