Etymology

longan

L1O1N1G2A1N1

Today it means: An evergreen tree, Dimocarpus longan, of the Sapindaceae family, native to southern China. Full definition →

Cantonese 龍眼 /龙眼
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The story

  1. Cantonese · borrowed from龍眼 /龙眼
  2. English todaylongan

Borrowed from Cantonese 龍眼 /龙眼 (lung⁴ ngaan⁵, literally “dragon’s eye”). Doublet of Longyan (“grape”).

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.