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

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Etymology

Origin of garlic

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

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

garlic garlics

A flat piece of fried dough typically topped with sour cream, garlic and grated cheese, ordinary lángos is best sampled at the city’s market halls, for 1/100th the price of Stand’s tasting menu.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026

Mine started with garlic, red onion, sun-dried tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, fennel, olive oil, spices and an anchovy or two, all piled into a Dutch oven and roasted together.

From Salon ● Sep. 28, 2026

“Yes, there are laws,” said Jesus, his face wrinkled from years of harvesting garlic, pruning grape vines and picking blackberries in the sun-baked San Joaquin Valley.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 24, 2026

My House Spice, which I use on pretty much everything, is my mother’s recipe, a Creole and Cajun spice blend with salt, pepper, granulated onion and garlic, cayenne and paprika.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 20, 2026

Mom returns with huge bowls of steaming white rice and platters of lemon chicken, sweet-and-sour pork, pepper steak, General Tso’s chicken, and the house special: Mandarin Garden Chicken—fried nuggets in a sweet garlic sauce.

From "Free Lunch" by Rex Ogle

Because grapes are also really sensitive to strong flavors, they should not be stored alongside onions, garlics and other bold tasting food items.

From Salon ● Jul. 1, 2022

Roses and carnations are mixed with more pungent garlics, cabbages and peppers; common wheat is intertwined with pumpkins and artichokes.

From Time Magazine Archive

Around his neck and on his chest was a big wreath of twisted garlics.

From "The Sun Also Rises" by Ernest Hemingway

They had hung a wreath of garlics around her neck.

From "The Sun Also Rises" by Ernest Hemingway

They wore big wreaths of white garlics around their necks.

From "The Sun Also Rises" by Ernest Hemingway

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