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

The hills of their property are stacked with a variety of fruit and nut trees–from apples, pears, avocados and pistachios to lychees, mangoes, pecans and chestnuts. —Nollyanne Delacruz, Mercury News, 25 Nov. 2025

Editors and influencers piled into the train-carriage narrow Ojii restaurant on the Left Bank, swilling lychee martinis and Champagne before settling in for rounds of wagyu beef, tuna tartare, tempura and — of course — sushi. —Miles Socha, Footwear News, 18 Nov. 2025

The brand produces a mix of frozen and ready-to-eat food items (such as dumplings and potstickers), ramen noodles, sauces (such as chili crunch and black vinegar sauce) and even sweet treats like black sesame dessert dumplings and ice creams, including rose lychee and jasmine green tea. —Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 12 Nov. 2025

The lychee martinis are flowing, and Zara’s tux provides a polished alternative to the party dress and top off with Khaite’s zebra clutch. —Cortne Bonilla, Vogue, 9 Nov. 2025

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"