Leechees

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Small round tropical fruits with a rough red skin and sweet translucent flesh ; Entities historically believed to have healing powers, or medical practitioners who apply leeches for therapeutic bloodletting ; Metaphorically, people who drain others' resources or support without giving in return
2. Tropical fruits characterized by their bumpy red exterior and juicy white interior pulp ; Creatures or traditional healers used in bloodletting therapy intended to cure ailments ; Individuals who exploit or rely excessively on others for personal gain without contribution
3. Edible tropical berries noted for their tough red rind and crisp, sweet interior ; Organisms or specialists involved in the practice of medicinal blood removal through leeching ; Persons described figuratively as taking advantage of the generosity or resources of others without reciprocation

Etymology: "Leechees" is simply the plural of "leechee," the spelling variant of "lychee," the small tropical fruit with rough red skin and translucent white flesh. Its meaning is pinned to the fruit, though the spelling has drifted through a tangle of unrelated words. The fruit's name comes from Chinese "lìzhī," and the English form picked up the spelling of "leech," the bloodsucking worm, which is why the fruit's name looks like a medical term. The leech of "leeches" comes from Old English "lāce," meaning a physician or healer, and that sense is the older one. Healers in medieval England used leeches to draw blood, so the word for the practitioner and the animal eventually blurred together. Later usage gave "leech" a figurative sense of someone who clings to others and drains their resources.

Synonyms: lychees, litchis