licorice Hear it!

licorice definition

lico·rice (likə ris̸h, likris̸h; occas. likə ris)

noun

  1. a European perennial plant (Glycyrrhiza glabra) of the pea family, with spikes of blue flowers and short, flat pods
  2. the dried root of this plant or the black extract made from it, used in medicine, esp. as a vehicle and a diluting agent, or as a flavoring
  3. candy flavored with this extract or in imitation of it

Etymology: ME licorys < OFr licorece < LL liquiritia, altered (by assoc. with liquor: see liquor) < L glycyrrhiza < Gr glykys, sweet (see glycerin) + rhiza, root

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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