Library / English Dictionary

LICORICE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

A black candy flavored with the dried root of the licorice plant

Synonyms:

licorice; liquorice

Classified under:

Nouns denoting foods and drinks

Hypernyms ("licorice" is a kind of...):

candy; confect (a rich sweet made of flavored sugar and often combined with fruit or nuts)

Sense 2

Meaning:

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

Synonyms:

Glycyrrhiza glabra; licorice; liquorice

Classified under:

Nouns denoting plants

Hypernyms ("licorice" is a kind of...):

herb; herbaceous plant (a plant lacking a permanent woody stem; many are flowering garden plants or potherbs; some having medicinal properties; some are pests)

Meronyms (parts of "licorice"):

licorice root (root of licorice used in flavoring e.g. candy and liqueurs and medicines)

Holonyms ("licorice" is a member of...):

genus Glycyrrhiza; Glycyrrhiza (sticky perennial Eurasian herbs)

Credits

 Context examples: 

Glycyrrhizinic acid in licorice root extract is hydrolyzed to glycyrrhetic acid (GA); GA inhibits 11 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase, resulting in inhibition of the conversion of cortisol to the inactive steroid cortisone and elevated cortisol levels.

(Licorice, NCI Thesaurus)