lychee

Where does the word "lychee" come from? It comes from Chinese lizhi, and was adopted directly into English (1700s).

Lychee’s story begins in Chinese: lizhi meant “lychee fruit.” The name for the sweet, fragrant tropical fruit. It reached English by 1700s as lychee. The Tang emperor Xuanzong had lychees rushed by relay horsemen to his consort Yang Guifei. Today, lychee means a small, sweet tropical fruit with a rough red skin and white flesh.

1. Stage 1 · Chinese · ancient lizhi "lychee fruit", the name for the sweet, fragrant tropical fruit.
2. Stage 2 · English · 1700s lychee "a sweet, fragrant tropical fruit", the Tang emperor Xuanzong had lychees rushed by relay horsemen to his consort Yang Guifei.