Dimocarpus longan
- noun
- Specialized
:
longan
- The fruit of Dimocarpus longan is similar in taste and texture to lychee.
Examples
-
Dimocarpus longan is widely cultivated across Southeast Asia for its delicious fruit.
-
The Dimocarpus longan tree grows well in tropical climates.
-
Researchers are studying the medicinal properties of Dimocarpus longan seeds and leaves.
-
I bought some Dimocarpus longan at the market.
-
Dimocarpus longan is widely cultivated across Southeast Asia for its delicious fruit.
-
The fruit of Dimocarpus longan is similar in taste and texture to lychee.
-
I bought some Dimocarpus longan at the market.
Synonyms
A small sweet fruit like a lychee that grows on a tropical tree
A tropical tree that grows sweet fruit like a lychee
A tropical tree that produces sweet longan fruit like a small lychee
A tree from Southeast Asia and Australia that has sweet fruit like lychee
A small sweet Asian fruit like a lychee with clear flesh also called longan
Surface Forms
Morphology
This is a compositional, referential scientific name combining the genus 'Dimocarpus' and the species 'longan'; given the provided definitions a B1 learner who knows both constituents can infer it refers to the tropical tree that produces longan fruit. The expression is not idiomatic or metaphorical but directly built from its parts, so its meaning is predictable from the constituents.
Etymology
Dimocarpus longan, called the longan, gets its name from the Chinese local name 'dragon eye' because when you peel the fruit the white flesh and dark seed look like an eye. That's why the name is used for the tree and its sweet, lychee-like fruit.
