LICORICE

licorice, liquorice

(noun) a black candy flavored with the dried root of the licorice plant

licorice, liquorice, Glycyrrhiza glabra

(noun) deep-rooted coarse-textured plant native to the Mediterranean region having blue flowers and pinnately compound leaves; widely cultivated in Europe for its long thick sweet roots

Source: WordNet® 3.1

Etymology

Noun

licorice (usually uncountable, plural licorices)

(countable) The plant Glycyrrhiza glabra, or sometimes in North America the related American Licorice plant Glycyrrhiza lepidota.

(uncountable) A type of candy made from that plant's dried root or its extract.

Synonym: sugarallie (Scotland, informal)

(countable and uncountable) A black colour, named after the licorice.

(uncountable, chemistry) A flavouring agent made from dried root portions of the aforementioned plant.

Usage notes

The American spelling is nearer the Old French source licorece, which is ultimately from Greek glykyrrhiza. The British spelling was influenced by the unrelated word liquor. Licorice prevails in Canada and it is common in Australia, but it is rarely found in the UK. Liquorice is all but nonexistent in the US ("Chiefly British", according to dictionaries).

Source: Wiktionary

Lic"o*rice, n. Etym: [OE. licoris, though old French, fr. L. liquiritia, corrupted fr. glycyrrhiza, Gr. Glycerin, Glycyrrhiza, Wort.] [Written also liquorice.]

1. (Bot.)

Definition: A plant of the genus Glycyrrhiza (G. glabra), the root of which abounds with a juice, and is much used in demulcent compositions.

2. The inspissated juice of licorice root, used as a confection and medicinal purposes. Licorice fern (Bot.), a name of several kinds of polypody which have rootstocks of a sweetish flavor.

– Licorice sugar. (Chem.) See Glycyrrhizin.

– Licorice weed (Bot.), the tropical plant Scapania aulcis.

– Mountain licorice (Bot.), a kind of clover (Trifolium alpinum), found in the Alps. It has large purplish flowers and a sweetish perennial rootstock.

– Wild licorice. (Bot.) (a) The North American perennial herb Glycyrrhiza lepidota. (b) Certain broad-leaved cleavers (Galium circæzans and G. lanceolatum). (c) The leguminous climber Abrus precatorius, whose scarlet and black seeds are called black-eyed Susans. Its roots are used as a substitute for those of true licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra).

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition