[syn: licorice, liquorice]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Licorice \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 (Glycyrrhiza
glabra), the root of which abounds with a sweet juice,
and is much used in demulcent compositions.
[1913 Webster]
2. The inspissated juice of licorice root, used as a
confection and for medicinal purposes.
[1913 Webster]
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 Galium 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).
[1913 Webster]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Liquorice \Liq"uor*ice\ (l[i^]k"[~e]r*[i^]s), n.
See Licorice.
[1913 Webster]
WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):
liquorice
n 1: 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 [syn: licorice, liquorice,
Glycyrrhiza glabra]
2: a black candy flavored with the dried root of the licorice
plant [syn: licorice, liquorice]