lycorys
Middle English
Alternative forms
- licoresse, licorice, licoriȝs, licoris, licorys, licoryse, likorys, liquirice, lycoresse, lycorice
Etymology
Borrowed from Old French licoresse, from Late Latin liquiritia, from Ancient Greek γλυκύρριζα (glukúrrhiza). Some forms are or have been influenced by licour or its etymons.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˌlikuˈriːs/, /ˈlikuris/
Noun
lycorys (uncountable)
- Liquorice root (the root of Glycyrrhiza glabra)
- a. 1400, Geoffrey Chaucer, “The Knight's Tale”, in The Canterbury Tales, line 3690-3691:
- But first he cheweth greyn and lycorys / To smellen sweete, er he hadde kembd his heer.
- Though first he chews spices and licorice, / To smell sweet before he'd combed his hair.
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- Liquorice (the plant Glycyrrhiza glabra)
Descendants
- English: licorice, liquorice
- Scots: liquorie
References
- “licorī̆s, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-07-28.