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