longan

noun

lon·​gan ˈlȯŋ-gən How to pronounce longan (audio)
-ən
1
: a pulpy fruit related to the lychee and produced by a southeast Asian evergreen tree (Dimocarpus longan synonym Euphoria longan) of the soapberry family
2
: a tree that bears the longan

Examples of longan in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
The most obvious order here is the Signature Bamboo Fungus Whole Chicken Soup, which gets your pot filled with chicken broth, plus chunks of fresh ginger, strips of coconut meat, fresh longan (a lychee-adjacent fruit), water chestnuts, and phallic, hollow cylinders of bamboo fungus. Hannah Goldfield, The New Yorker, 24 Feb. 2023 Worakanya Panyaprasertkit, a longan exporter in Thailand, said a shipment of her fruit was stuck at the border with Vietnam for 60 days. New York Times, 5 Feb. 2022 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. New York Times, 15 Jan. 2022 The produce section will offer fruits native to Asia, such as jackfruit, persimmons, longan and durian, according to a slideshow presented at the preview event. Priscilla Totiyapungprasert, azcentral, 22 Jan. 2020 On a hot autumn day, the 78-year-old pianist points out the longan, papaya and starfruit trees in the villa’s garden. The Economist, 18 Dec. 2019 Just hope your meal ends with the addictive glutinous black rice porridge, which is gently sweet and pairs well with the longan tea that'll be served alongside it. Hanya Yanagihara, Condé Nast Traveler, 24 Sep. 2018 The North San Diego County Chapter of the California Rare Fruit Growers meets from 7 to 9 p.m. Friday featuring guest speaker Dr. Gary Bender who will give a presentation on longans, lychees and more. Linda McIntosh, sandiegouniontribune.com, 16 May 2018 Mangoes, longans, governor’s plum, avocados, sapotes and citrus appeared on the decades-old trees in the gardens, according to Miami Herald reports at the time. Elizabeth Koh, miamiherald, 28 Oct. 2017

Word History

Etymology

Chinese (Beijing) lóngyǎn, literally, dragon's eye

First Known Use

1655, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of longan was in 1655

Dictionary Entries Near longan

Cite this Entry

“Longan.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/longan. Accessed 7 Nov. 2024.

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