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).
Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)
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