longan

[ long-guhn ]

noun

1. the small, one-seeded, greenish-brown fruit of a large evergreen tree, Euphoria longana, of the soapberry family, native to China and allied to the litchi.
2. the tree itself.

longan

/ ˈlɒŋɡən /

noun

1. a sapindaceous tree, Euphoria longan, of tropical and subtropical Asia, with small yellowish-white flowers and small edible fruits
2. the fruit of this tree, which is similar to but smaller than the litchi, having white juicy pulp and a single seed

Word History and Origins

Origin of longan¹

1725–35; < New Latin longanum < Chinese lóngyǎn literally, dragon's eye

Word History and Origins

Origin of longan¹

C18: from Chinese lung yen dragon's eye

Example Sentences

We’d snack on lychee or longan on the drives back until we had to throw away the fruit seeds before returning to the U.S.

From Seattle Times

The bargain buyers drifted out of a popular Little Saigon fruit shop with tote bags full of pale brown longan and hairy red rambutan, barely glancing at the dirt-smeared face of Duc Tran.

From Los Angeles Times

He said Vietnam expects to begin exporting longan to Japan in September, followed by other produce such as grapefruit, avocado and rambutan, while opening its market for Japanese grapes.

From Reuters

Worakanya Panyaprasertkit, a longan exporter in Thailand, said a shipment of her fruit was stuck at the border with Vietnam for 60 days.

From New York Times

Weeks later, a farmer, frustrated by the government’s failed promise to subsidize longan crops while the pandemic kept borders closed to exports, posted a video of tons of his annual harvest going to rot.

From New York Times