lychee

noun

variants or 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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
At Sunda New Asian, Vanilla Ice Cream & Turon Spring Roll served with premium kaluga caviar, ube rice crispy, lychee, cookie flakes, seasonal fruit, passion fruit coulis, and ube glaze. Aly Walansky, Forbes.com, 29 June 2026 Large cans of jalapeños and taco sauce, tins of jumbo squid, sacks filled with varying flour types, jars of grape leaves, curry paste, pickled ginger, Japanese mayo, lychee in syrup, Mediterranean chocolate candies and a wide variety of ramen noodle packets were among the items on the shelves. Jenna Ebbers, Kansas City Star, 27 June 2026 The juice of the lychee fruit has been turned into an effervescent beverage and conveniently packaged in a can. Michele Laufik, Martha Stewart, 25 June 2026 Bajío Sparkling Brut With a gentle, fine bubble, this offering presents a subtle brioche on the nose that gives way to a crowd-pleasing, juicy hit of lychee and white peach. Sam Stone, Bon Appetit Magazine, 22 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for lychee

Word History

Etymology

Chinese (Beijing) lìzhī

First Known Use

1588, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of lychee was in 1588

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Lychee.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lychee. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.

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"

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