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.

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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

• 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

A microplane is core to the way I cook because I use a lot of lemon zest and grated garlic.

From The Wall Street Journal

She slurps spaghetti one noodle at a time and tears garlic bread into a million tiny pieces.

From Literature

Pork chops, fried chicken, garlic mashed potatoes, a trough of Caesar salad, steamed beans, fresh baked rolls, and of course sweet potato pie—all delicious, especially the pie.

From Literature

Tomato, brightened with a final drizzle of garlic oil, like punctuation.

From Salon

“Ezra once said that garlic is the best smell in the world, better even than roses,” Janie said, putting the bread slices into a basket and bringing it to the table.

From Literature