Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary - licorice

 noun  Etymology: Middle English ~, from Anglo-French licoris, from Late Latin liquiritia, alteration of Latin glycyrrhiza, from Greek glykyrrhiza, from glykys sweet + rhiza root — more at dulcet, root  Date: 13th century  1.  a. the dried root of a European leguminous plant (Glycyrrhiza glabra) with pinnate leaves and spikes of blue flowers; also an extract of this used especially in medicine, liquors, and confectionery  b. a candy flavored with ~ or a substitute (as anise)  2. a plant yielding ~; also a related plant