[syn: litchi, litchi nut, litchee, lichi, leechee, lichee, lychee]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Litchi \Li"tchi`\ (l[=e]"ch[=e]`), n. (Bot.)
The fruit of a tree native to China (Nephelium Litchi). It
is nutlike, having a rough but tender shell, containing an
aromatic pulp, and a single large seed. In the dried fruit
which is exported the pulp somewhat resembles a raisin in
color and form. [Written also lichi, and lychee.]
[1913 Webster]
2. (Bot.) A genus of East Indian sapindaceous trees
consisting of a single species (Litchi Chinensis, syn.
Nephelium Litchi) which bears the litchi nut.
[Webster 1913 Suppl.]
WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):
litchi
n 1: Chinese tree cultivated especially in Philippines and India
for its edible fruit; sometimes placed in genus Nephelium
[syn: litchi, lichee, litchi tree, Litchi
chinensis, Nephelium litchi]
2: Chinese fruit having a thin brittle shell enclosing a sweet
jellylike pulp and a single seed; often dried [syn: litchi,
litchi nut, litchee, lichi, leechee, lichee,
lychee]