Licorice

Lic′o·rice (lĭk′ō·rĭs), n. [OE. licoris, through old French, fr. L. liquiritia, corrupted fr. glycyrrhiza, Gr. γλυκύρριζα; γλυκύς sweet + ρἵζα 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 circæzans 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).