garlic

American  

[gahr-lik] / ˈgɑr lɪk /

noun

garlics plural

1. a hardy plant, Allium sativum, of the amaryllis family, whose strongly pungent bulb is used in cooking and medicine.

2. any of various plants of the genus Allium related to the familiar culinary garlic A. sativum.

3. the bulb of Allium sativum, consisting of smaller bulbs, or cloves, used in cooking, sometimes in the form of a powder, a paste, or minced pieces.

4. the flavor or smell of this bulb.

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adjective

1. cooked, flavored, or seasoned with garlic, the pungent bulb of the Allium sativum plant.

   garlic bread;

   garlic salt.

2. of or relating to garlic.

garlic British  

/ ˈɡɑːlɪk /

noun

1. a hardy widely cultivated Asian alliaceous plant, Allium sativum, having a stem bearing whitish flowers and bulbils

2. 1. the bulb of this plant, made up of small segments (cloves) that have a strong odour and pungent taste and are used in cooking

   2. ( as modifier )

      a garlic taste

3. any of various other plants of the genus Allium

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• garlicked
  adjective
• garlicky
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• garlics
  plural

Etymology

Origin of garlic

First recorded before 1000; Middle English garlec, Old English gārlēac ( gar “spear”, cognate with German Ger, + lēac leek )

Example Sentences

But you can get even more out of your cloves, Danny Palumbo explains in “Make Garlic Grate Again.”

From Slate • Jun. 15, 2026

Sauces like Lemon Garlic Aioli and Spicy Chili Truffle will roll out under a new Minor’s Kitchen brand, inspired by an existing one for professional chefs, Nestlé said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026

Garlic extract has been found to offer antimicrobial effects that are on par with commonly used antiseptics and disinfectants such as chlorhexidine, according to medical researchers at the University of Sharjah.

From Science Daily • Dec. 8, 2025

Durant Olive Mill Garlic Fused Oil – Most garlic olive oil, frankly, isn’t great.

From Salon • Dec. 4, 2025

Garlic and chicken and watercress, the same soup that Cook had made the day the queen died.

From "The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup and a Spool of Thread" by Kate DiCamillo