Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)
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} ({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}).
Glycyrrhiza \Glyc`yr*rhi"za\, n. [L., fr. Gr. ?; ? sweet + ?
root. Cf. {Licorice}.]
1. (Bot.) A genus of papilionaceous herbaceous plants, one
species of which ({G. glabra}), is the licorice plant, the
roots of which have a bittersweet mucilaginous taste.
2. (Med.) The root of {Glycyrrhiza glabra} (liquorice root),
used as a demulcent, etc.
Source : WordNet®
Glycyrrhiza glabra
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 [syn: {licorice}, {liquorice}]