chicory

American  

[chik-uh-ree] / ˈtʃɪk ə ri /

Or chiccory

noun

plural

chicories

1. a composite plant, Cichorium intybus, having bright-blue flower heads and toothed oblong leaves, cultivated as a salad plant and for its root, which is used roasted and ground as a substitute for or additive to coffee.

2. the root of this plant.

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chicory British  

/ ˈtʃɪkərɪ /

noun

1. Also called: succory.  a blue-flowered plant, Cichorium intybus, cultivated for its leaves, which are used in salads, and for its roots: family Asteraceae (composites)

2. the root of this plant, roasted, dried, and used as a coffee substitute

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Etymology

Origin of chicory

1350–1400; < Middle French chicoree, alteration of earlier cicoree (by influence of Italian cicoria ) < Latin cichorēa < Greek kichória, kíchora (neuter plurals); replacing Middle English cicoree < Middle French

Compare meaning

How does chicory compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• chicory vs. endive

Explanation

Chicory is a type of plant, an herb with bright blue flowers. In many parts of the world, including New Orleans, chicory is commonly added to coffee. Roasted and ground chicory root has frequently been used as an affordable substitute during coffee shortages. What started as a desperate move in wartime and during the Great Depression became a beloved tradition in some places, where chicory-coffee mixtures are now considered a regional treat. Chicory root is also used as a sweetener, and the leaves are sometimes eaten raw in salads. The blue flowers of chicory can be spotted growing wild along highways in many parts of Europe.

Example Sentences

And yet, as one of the teenagers feels while riding her Schwinn as fast as she can down a country road, “the world smelled like corn and chicory flower and drying dirt and woods.”

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 7, 2024

For my fellow morning caffeine drinkers who don't do decaf, moving over to herbal tea or the southern standby chicory can a reasonably painless switch.

From Salon • Jan. 7, 2024

The 59 volunteers consumed 30 grams of inulin, a prebiotic from chicory root, daily for 14 days.

From Science Daily • Oct. 10, 2023

Boudin blanc creamy white sausage and chicken mince flavoured with truffle, nutmeg and thyme served with stomp, a mashed potato of leaks, carrots and bacon, beer braised chicory and an onion and Belgian beer gravy.

From BBC • Sep. 9, 2023

“But they would have asked the bean of a darker roast and they would have liked a little chicory for bite.”

From "Travels with Charley in Search of America" by John Steinbeck