licorice
Americannoun
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a Eurasian plant, Glycyrrhiza glabra, of the legume family.
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the sweet-tasting, dried root of this plant or an extract made from it, used in medicine, confectionery, etc.
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a candy flavored with licorice root.
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any of various related or similar plants.
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of licorice
First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English lycorys, from Anglo-French, from unattested Vulgar Latin liquiritia for Latin glycyrrhiza, from Greek glykýrrhiza “sweetroot (plant),” equivalent to glyký(s) “sweet” + rhíza “root”; see root 1, -ia
Explanation
If you've ever had a long, sweet, chewy, black candy, you've probably had licorice. This is a common type of candy made from the dried roots of the licorice plant. Licorice is a blue-flowered plant from the Mediterranean region. Its long roots are used to make candy also known as licorice. People have been eating licorice for so long that you can find people comparing sweet things to licorice as far back as the 1300's. The licorice plant is known for its blue flowers and compound leaves, though it's the long roots beneath the surface that are so delicious.
Vocabulary lists containing licorice
Red
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Black and Gray
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I Survived the Great Molasses Flood, 1919
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Among the strongest performers was glycyrrhizin, a naturally occurring ingredient in black licorice.
From Science Daily ● May 9, 2026
Their findings, published in Stem Cell Reports, point to glycyrrhizin, a natural compound found in black licorice, as a promising candidate for reducing intestinal inflammation and preventing cell death.
From Science Daily ● May 9, 2026
He has told personal stories about Rite Aid, Zips Car Wash and Cineworld, where he talked of enjoying Mountain Dew slush and red licorice while watching “Top Gun Maverick.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2025
Our brains know a cartoon isn’t real — be it a rascally rabbit, a culinary rat or a dragon with the same sheen as salt licorice — and yet our hearts gift it with life.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 11, 2025
Aunt Kitty studied her licorice tin, opening it slowly and popping a candy into her mouth.
From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan
“She gave us the licorices when we visited her, remember?”
From "The Unfinished Angel" by Sharon Creech
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
