litchi

or lee·chee, li·chee, ly·chee

[lee-chee]

noun, plural li·tchis.

the fruit of a Chinese tree, Litchi chinensis, of the soapberry family, consisting of a thin, brittle shell enclosing a sweet, jellylike pulp and a single seed.

the tree itself.

Origin of litchi

1580–90; < New Latin < Chinese lìzhi (lì ‘scallion’ + zhī ‘branch’)

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for lichee

Historical Examples of lichee

The seed resembles the lichee, and the fruit, which ripens in the ninth month of the year, suggests a resemblance to the Swastika.
The Swastika
Thomas Wilson

British Dictionary definitions for lichee

lichee

noun

a variant spelling of litchi

litchi

lichee, lichi or lychee

noun

a Chinese sapindaceous tree, Litchi chinensis, cultivated for its round edible fruits

the fruit of this tree, which has a whitish juicy edible aril

Word Origin for litchi

C16: from Cantonese lai chi

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012