licorice

especially British, liq·uo·rice

[lik-er-ish, lik-rish, lik-uh-ris]

noun

1. a Eurasian plant, Glycyrrhiza glabra, of the legume family.

2. the sweet-tasting, dried root of this plant or an extract made from it, used in medicine, confectionery, etc.

3. a candy flavored with licorice root.

4. any of various related or similar plants.

licorice

/ ˈlɪkərɪs /

noun

1. the usual US and Canadian spelling of liquorice

Word History and Origins

Origin of licorice¹

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”; root ¹, -ia

Example Sentences

The tonka bean’s robust scent comes from the presence of coumarin, a naturally occurring organic compound that’s also found in Cassia cinnamon and some licorice roots.

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There was a popular brand of licorice called “Little African,” with packaging that featured a cartoon alligator tugging playfully at a Black infant’s rag diaper.

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Even so, its use here is brazen and strange, from this case of death by chocolate to an “E.T.” embezzlement in which Isabella befriends a baby Aquilops with red rope licorice.

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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.

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It’s the black licorice of dashes: Those who like it love it; those who don’t will loudly and repeatedly let you know.

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