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

Plants include Purple Glories from Brazil, Napoleon’s hat trees from West Africa, lychees from China and jade vines from the Philippines. —Lois K. Solomon, Sun Sentinel, 16 Feb. 2026

Dessert was a Hong Kong classic – mango pudding, accompanied with lychee sorbet and a crispy sesame dumpling filled with pineapple and custard cream. —Ann Lee, TheWeek, 16 Feb. 2026

Other ingredients that make their way into his liquid creations are lavender, lychee syrup, prickly pear and tart cherry juice, to name a few. —Brock Keeling, Oc Register, 27 Jan. 2026

Drinks are inspired by ingredients such as coconut milk, brown sugar, matcha and lychee. —Carlos Rico, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Jan. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Chinese (Beijing) lìzhī

First Known Use

1588, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing lychee

• lychee nut

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"