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lychee

British  
/ ˌlaɪˈtʃiː /

noun

  1. a variant spelling of litchi

"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

Explanation

A lychee is a small, sweet fruit with a tough skin. Lychee trees are native to southeastern China, and the fruit is common in India and southeast Asia. You have to peel the thick rind off a lychee to get to the soft, fragrant fruit inside. Some people describe the delicate flavor as resembling a grape crossed with a rose. Lychee trees are evergreen, with clusters of sweet-smelling flowers. Lychees are most often eaten raw, or made into desserts and drinks. Lychee, sometimes spelled litchi, comes from the Chinese lìzhī.

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Vocabulary lists containing lychee

Example Sentences

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Bottle bio: Another sparkling white from the Russian River Valley, it features notes of tropical fruit, lychee and green apple on the nose.

From The Wall Street Journal Jul. 3, 2026

Reading about Decibel’s original lychee martini, I felt an odd kinship — as if my own fruit obsession had been quietly waiting in the city all along.

From Salon Sep. 6, 2025

I don’t think my love for lychees and the elegant lychee martini will ever fade.

From Salon Sep. 6, 2025

They have an amazing happy hour from 4 to 7 p.m., and I love their lychee martinis.

From Los Angeles Times Sep. 5, 2025

I count the trees: thirty-two banana trees, seven guava trees, fourteen mango trees, countless coconut and lychee trees.

From "You Bring the Distant Near" by Mitali Perkins

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