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gar·lic

(gärlĭk)

1. An onionlike plant (Allium sativum) of southern Europe having a bulb that breaks up into separable cloves with a strong distinctive odor and flavor.

2. The bulb of this plant.

tr.v. gar·licked, gar·lick·ing, gar·licks

To season or flavor (a food) with garlic.

[Middle English, from Old English gārlēac : gār, spear (probably in reference to the shape of a clove of garlic, resembling a spearhead, or to the shape of the leaves) + lēac, leek.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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