lycorys

Middle English

Alternative forms

• licoris, likorys, liquirice, licoresse, licoriȝs, licoryse, lycoresse, licorys, licorice, 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): /ˈlikurəs/, /ˈlikuris/, /ˈlikuriːs/

Noun

lycorys (uncountable)

1. Liquorice root (the root of Glycyrrhiza glabra)

   • a. 1400, Geoffrey Chaucer, “The Knight's Tale”, in The Canterbury Tales, lines 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.

2. 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.