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

On the cocktail front, Harper praised their take on the Old Fashioned and a drink called Say Less, which consists of lychee syrup, lime, triple sec, tequila blanco, and lemon lime soda. —Taylor Ardrey, USA Today, 23 Oct. 2025

Among the more unique menu options on offer are various milk teas in honey oolong and winter melon flavors, fruit drinks like rose hip lemonade and lychee punch, and slushies in flavors like mango and s’mores. —Kate Bradshaw, Mercury News, 23 Oct. 2025

A little goes a long way, as too much coloring can overwhelm the natural sheen of the lychee. —Elizabeth Fogarty, Better Homes & Gardens, 22 Oct. 2025

One is a frozen Pisco Sour zhuzhed up with lychee; the other, a hazy flower-petal magenta, is chicha morada, a drink made from purple corn spiced with cinnamon and cloves. —Helen Rosner, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 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"