garlic

American  

[gahr-lik] / ˈgɑr lɪk /

noun

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.

---

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

---

Other Word Forms

• garlicked adjective
• garlicky adjective

Etymology

Origin of garlic

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

Example Sentences

You cannot go wrong with an old-school tahini dressing: tahini, maple syrup, garlic, lemon juice and enough water to thin it into something pourable and generous.

From Salon

Definitely get the spicy edamame, with garlic, tamari, and togarashi; it was one of the best veggies we enjoyed on the whole trip.

From Salon

Perhaps you find that your enthusiasm reliably stalls at the thought of mincing garlic.

From Salon

The company launched limited-edition flavors such as pizza, garlic Parmesan and, recently, apple pie, and jalapeño and ranch as permanent additions.

From The Wall Street Journal

Recently, butter garlic naan - a flavour-packed rendition of the traditional naan - topped Taste Atlas' best breads list.

From BBC