longan

Where does the word "longan" come from? It comes from Cantonese lùhngngáahn, and was adopted directly into English (17th-18th century).

Longan’s story begins in Cantonese: lùhngngáahn meant “a small, round fruit resembling an eye.” Literally 'dragon eye', describing the fruit's translucent flesh around a dark seed. It reached English by 17th-18th century as longan. Cantonese 'dragon's eye', from its dark seed showing through the pale flesh. Today, longan means a small, sweet tropical fruit with translucent flesh, closely related to the lychee.

1. Stage 1 · Cantonese · ancient lùhngngáahn "a small, round fruit resembling an eye", literally 'dragon eye', describing the fruit's translucent flesh around a dark seed.
2. Stage 2 · English · 17th-18th century longan "a small, sweet fruit related to the lychee", Cantonese 'dragon's eye', from its dark seed showing through the pale flesh.