garlic
UK /ˈɡɑːlɪk/ · US /ˈɡɑɹlɪk/ noun, verb
Forms garlics garlicking garlicked garlick garlicke
- noun A plant, Allium sativum, related to the onion, having a pungent bulb much used in cooking.
- noun (uncountable) A preparation from Allium sativum used as a food ingredient or the flavor or other characteristics of such an ingredient.
- verb (transitive) To flavor with garlic.
Synonyms
Etymology
Inherited from Middle English garlek, garlik, from Old English gārlēac (“garlic”, literally “spear-leek”), from gār ("spear"; in reference to its sharp, tapering leaves) + lēac (“leek”). Cognate with Scots garlic (“garlic”), Faroese geirleykur (“garlic”), Icelandic geirlaukur (“garlic”).
Webster’s 1913
- noun A plant of the genus Allium (A. sativum is the cultivated variety), having a bulbous root, a very strong smell, and an acrid, pungent taste. Each root is composed of several lesser bulbs, called cloves of garlic, inclosed in a common membranous coat, and easily separable.
- noun A kind of jig or farce. [Obs.] Taylor (1630). Garlic mustard, a European plant of the Mustard family (Alliaria officinalis) which has a strong smell of garlic.
Etymology [OE. garlek, AS. garleác; gar spear, lance + leác leek. See Gar, n., and Leek.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “garlic”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details