Definitions for: Licorice


[n] a black candy flavored with the dried root of the licorice plant
[n] deep-rooted coarse-textured plant native to the Mediterranean region having blue flowers and pinnately compound leaves; widely cultivated in Europe for its long thick sweet roots



Webster (1913) Definition: Lic"o*rice (l[i^]k"[-o]*r[i^]s), n. [OE. licoris,
through old French, fr. L. liquiritia, corrupted fr.
glycyrrhiza, Gr. glyky`rriza; glyky`s sweet + "ri`za root.
Cf. Glycerin, Glycyrrhiza, Wort.] [Written also
liquorice.]
1. (Bot.) A plant of the genus Glycyrrhiza (G. glabra),
the root of which abounds with a sweet juice, and is much
used in demulcent compositions.

2. The inspissated juice of licorice root, used as a
confection and for medicinal purposes.

Licorice fern (Bot.), a name of several kinds of polypody
which have rootstocks of a sweetish flavor.

Licorice sugar. (Chem.) See Glycyrrhizin.

Licorice weed (Bot.), the tropical plant Scapania dulcis.


Mountain licorice (Bot.), a kind of clover ({Trifolium
alpinum}), found in the Alps. It has large purplish
flowers and a sweetish perennial rootstock.

Wild licorice. (Bot.)
(a) The North American perennial herb {Glycyrrhiza
lepidota}.
(b) Certain broad-leaved cleavers (Galium circ[ae]zans
and G. lanceolatum).
(c) The leguminous climber Abrus precatorius, whose
scarlet and black seeds are called {black-eyed
Susans}. Its roots are used as a substitute for those
of true licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra).

Synonyms: Glycyrrhiza glabra, liquorice, liquorice

See Also: candy, genus Glycyrrhiza, Glycyrrhiza, herb, herbaceous plant, licorice root

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