Where does “licorice” come from?
Licorice comes from Middle English lycorys, from Old French licoresse, from Latin liquiritia, from Ancient Greek γλυκύρριζα, a compound of γλυκύς meaning sweet and a root from Proto-Indo-European dl̥kú-.
licorice (English): The plant "Glycyrrhiza glabra", or sometimes in...
Definitions
- The plant "Glycyrrhiza glabra", or sometimes in...
Ancestry of “licorice”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | lycorys | Liquorice root; Liquorice |
| 2 | Old French | licoresse | licorice |
| 3 | Latin | liquiritia | liquorice |
| 4 | Latin | glycyrrhiza | licorice root |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | γλυκύρριζα | licorice |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | γλυκύς | sweet |
| 7 | Proto-Hellenic | *dlukús | — |