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
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.
The young dancers in the licorice scene come from English National Ballet’s Ballet Futures Programme and Adagio School of Dance in Essex.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 16, 2025
She started London Borough of Jam in her home; raspberry jam with licorice was the first offering.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 10, 2025
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.
From Salon • Sep. 19, 2025
The company initially began as a small family licorice business and has since branched out into several varieties of confections.
From Salon • Oct. 15, 2024
I felt her warm breath on my cheek and smelled that familiar scent of licorice.
From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan
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.
