Liquorice - a small leguminous plant whose thick roots and underground runners contain a very sweet compound called glycyrrhizin. In its pure form this is 50 times sweeter than ordinary sugar, but the plant also contains bitter substances which partly mask the sweet taste. Its name is a corruption of the original Greek name glycorrhiza, meaning sweet root, which is also an old English name. The root can be dried then chewed as a sweet meat, the extract can be used in savoury preparations, or combined with sugar, water, gelatin, and flour to give the liquorice used for confectionary.