garlic, n.
(ˈgɑːlɪk)
Forms: 1 gárléac, 3, 5 garlec, 4–5, 7 garleek, 4–6 -lek(e, (5 -lekke), 4, 6–7 -lik(e, 4–6 -lyk(e, 6–7 -licke, 6–9 garlick, 8– garlic. Also 5 garly, garle.
[OE. gárléac (f. gár gare n.1 + léac leek); the corresponding ON. geirlauk-r is possibly from OE.]
1. a. A plant of the genus Allium (usually A. sativum) having a bulbous root, a very strong smell, and an acrid, pungent taste.
clove of garlic (see clove n.1 1). oil of garlic, an essential oil obtained from the bulb and stem of the garlic.
| c 1000 Sax. Leechd. II. 34 Genim cropleac & garleac..ᵹecnuwa wel tosomne. c 1265 Voc. Plants in Wr.-Wülcker 558/17 Alleum..garlec. c 1305 Land Cokayne 105 in E.E.P. (1862) 159 Hi bringeþ garlek gret plente. 1382 Wyclif Num. xi. 5 The leke, and the vniowns, and the garlekes [L. allia]. c 1425 Voc. in Wr.-Wülcker 644/28 Hoc alleum, garle. Ibid. 662/12 Hoc alleum, garly. c 1460 J. Russell Bk. Nurture 536 Roost beeff & goos with garlek, vinegre, or pepur. 1522 Skelton Why not to Court 106 They may garlycke pyll..Or pescoddes they may shyll. 1577 B. Googe Heresbach's Husb. ii. (1586) 60 b, Garlicke..groweth with a blade like the Onyon, but not hollow, the stalke round, and the flowres in the toppe in a round tuft. a 1627 Middleton More Dissemblers iv. i, Cap. Lov'st thou the common food of Egypt, Onions? Dond. I, and Garlick too. 1725 De Foe Voy. round World (1840) 291 Putting no garlick or onions into the sauce. 1796 C. Marshall Garden. xv. (1813) 235 Garlic is used for both culinary and medicinal purposes. 1838 T. Thomson Chem. Org. Bodies 485 Oil of Garlic is extracted from the bulbs and stem of the garlic. 1865 Kingsley Herew. i. 61 If he have not garlic to his roast goose every time he chooses. |
| fig. 1691 New Discov. Old Intreague xxiii, Give them their ancient Priviledges agen..The luscious Garlick of the former Reigns. [Allusion to Numbers xi. 5.] 1843 Lytton Last Bar. ii. ii, Is it for them to breathe garlic on the alliances of Bourbons and Plantagenets? |
b. With qualifying words indicating different species;
esp. bear's garlic, see
bear n.1 10;
hog's garlic = prec.;
wild garlic = crow-garlic.
| 1538 Leland Itin. III. 19 Diverse of [these] Islettes berith wyld Garlyk. 1597 Gerarde Herbal i. lxxxix. 142 Snakes Garlick. Harts Garlick or Stags Garlick. Ibid. 143 The great mountain Garlick groweth about Constantinople. 1626 Bacon Sylva §499 Where Kine feed upon Wilde Garlicke, their Milke tasteth plainely of the Garlicke. 1750 W. Ellis Mod. Husbandm. III. i. 42 (E.D.S.) Crow, or Wild, Garlic. 1818 Withering's Brit. Plants (ed. 6) II. 445 Allium ampeloprasum..Round-headed Garlic. 1861 Miss Pratt Flower. Pl. V. 266 Flowering Great Round-headed Garlic. |
† 2. The name of a popular jig or farce of the early part of the seventeenth century.
Obs.| 1614 R. Tailor Hog hath lost Pearle i. B ij b, Ha. Youle finde it worth Megge of Westminster, althouh it be but a bare Iigge. Pla. O lord sir, I would it had but halfe the taste of garlicke. Ha. Garlicke stinkes to this. 1630 J. Taylor (Water P.) Wks. ii. 159 And for his action he eclipseth quite, The Iigge of Garlick, or the Punks delight. |
3. attrib. and
Comb., as
garlic-bed,
garlic bread,
garlic-breath,
garlic butter,
garlic-eater,
garlic-god (with allusion to Juvenal
Sat. xv. 9),
garlic-head,
garlic-monger,
garlic-mortar,
garlic-odour,
garlic-pickle,
garlic press,
garlic salt,
garlic-sauce,
garlic sausage,
garlic-seed,
garlic-seller,
garlic-smell,
garlic-vinegar;
garlic-eating,
garlic-like adjs. Also
garlic-snail, a mollusc so called from its emitting a garlic-like odour.
| 1552 Huloet, *Garlicke bedde, allectum. |
| 1951 E. J. Marvel Cook it Ahead 3 (heading) *Garlic Bread. 1960 ‘I. T. Ross’ Murder out of School xiv. 181 She brought a basketful of garlic bread from the oven. |
| 1606 Choice, Chance, etc. (1881) 19 With such a *garlicke breath, as would haue poisoned a dog. 1663 Dryden Wild Gallant iv. i, What a garlick Breath my Lady Springwell had! |
| 1942 C. Spry Come into Garden, Cook (1943) xv. 223 Take a whole loaf... Cut in thick slices... Spread the *garlic margarine or butter. 1950 E. David Bk. Mediterranean Food 40 Garlic butter for snails... Pound the garlic... Put the butter into the mortar and work it so that the garlic impregnates it..add the parsley..a very little salt, pepper and nutmeg. 1970 ‘D. Craig’ Young Men may Die viii. 60 We had to eat the specialities, snails in a slime of garlic butter. 1986 W. J. Burley Wycliffe & Quiet Virgin ix. 152 They ordered bowls of soup and bread rolls with garlic butter. |
| 1607 Shakes. Cor. iv. vi. 98 The breath of *Garlicke-eaters. |
| 1884 E. Barker Through Auvergne 80 When you live among an onion-eating or *garlick-eating people. |
| 1679 Confinement 24 Their *Garlick-Gods, they might indeed adore; And to their Onyons, invocations poure. |
| 1482 Paston Lett. III. 285 A standing pece white covered, with a white *garleek heed upon the knoppe. 1521 Test. Ebor. (Surtees) V. 202 Sex cocliaria argentea cum knoppes vocatis garlekhed. 1616–61 B. Holyday Persius 330 To taste each morn three times a garlick-head. 1836–48 B. D. Walsh Aristoph., Acharn. ii. v, If they saw a cucumber..or garlic-head. |
| 1816 Accum Chem. Tests (1818) 221 The peculiar *garlic-like odour. |
| 1393 Langl. P. Pl. C. vii. 373 Godefray þe *garlek-mongere. |
| 1602 Withals' Dict. 187/2 A *garlike morter, mortarium alliarium. |
| 1849 D. Campbell Inorg. Chem. 22 It has..a *garlic odour and taste. |
| 1853 Hickie tr. Aristoph. (1872) II. 631 Content with *garlic-pickle. |
| 1958 Catal. County Stores Taunton June 12 *Garlic Press. 1968 House & Garden May 15/2 Garlic press..useful all-metal kitchen utensil for pressing garlic..11/6. |
| c 1938 Fortnum & Mason Catal. 52/2 Salt..*Garlic—per bot. 1/6. 1958 Catal. County Stores Taunton June 12 Garlic or Onion Salt. |
| 1552 Huloet, *Garlicke sauce, alliatum. 1892 Garrett Encycl. Cookery I. 668 Garlick Sauce. |
| 1905 Daily Chron. 5 Jan. 4/5 The remnants of [horse] flesh—which even the *garlic-sausage manufacturers cannot use. 1930 E. Waugh Labels 44 In the haversack on his back he carries a map and garlic sausage. 1968 P. Dickinson Weathermonger vi. 69 They..ate garlic sausage, processed cheese, bread and tomatoes. |
| 1657 S. Purchas Pol. Flying-Ins. i. xv. 94 Bees gather..*Garlick-seeds. |
| 1483 Cath. Angl. 150/2 A *Garleke seller, allearius. |
| 1805 Med. Jrnl. XIV. 428 It may be distinguished by its *garlic smell. |
| 1854 Woodward Mollusca (1856) 30 A few exhale peculiar odours, like the *garlic-snail (helix alliaria). |
| 1892 Garrett Encycl. Cookery I. 668 *Garlic Vinegar. |
b. esp. in popular names of plants, as
garlic-germander, the water germander,
Teucrium Scordium;
garlic-pear(tree, the American plant
Cratæva gynandra;
garlic-sage, the wood sage or germander,
Teucrium Scorodonia;
garlic-shrub (see
quot.);
garlic (treacle) -mustard,
† garlic treaclewort,
Sisymbrium Alliaria (
Alliaria officinalis);
garlic-tree (see
quot.);
garlic-wort = garlic-mustard.
| 1548 Turner Names of Herbes, Scordium..may be called in englishe water Germander or *Garleke Germander. |
| 1725 Sloane Jamaica II. 169 *Garlick Pear-Tree..The fruit has..a mealy pulp..smelling like garlick, whence the name. 1756 P. Browne Jamaica (1789) 246 The thin-leafed Crateva or Garlick Pear. 1895 Oracle Encycl. II. 208/1 The garlic pear..blisters the skin. |
| 1597 Gerarde Herbal ii. ccv. 535 Of Wood Sage, or *Garlicke Sage. 1861 Miss Pratt Flower. Pl. IV. 174 Wood Germander or Wood Sage..often called Garlic Sage, because when bruised, it has a slight odour of garlic. |
| 1866 Treas. Bot. 520/1 *Garlic shrub, Bignonia alliacea; also Petiveria alliacea. |
| 1861 Miss Pratt Flower. Pl. I. 129 *Garlic Treacle-mustard, Jack-by-the-Hedge, or Sauce-alone. |
| 1597 Gerarde Herbal Table Eng. Names, *Garlicke Treaclewoort or Garlicke Mustard, and his kinds. |
| 1882 J. Smith Dict. Pop. Names Plants, *Garlic Tree, a name in Jamaica for Cratæva tapia..The fruit has a strong smell of Garlic. |
| 1863 Prior Plant-n. 89 *Garlick-wort..Erysimum Alliaria, L. |
Hence
ˈgarlic v. nonce-wd., to dose with garlic.
| 1830 tr. Aristoph., Knights 72 Chorus. Take this garlic, and swallow it down without chewing. Sausage-seller. Why? Cho. That, when garlicked, my friend, you may fight the better. |
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garlic crusher n. Cookery an implement designed to crush garlic cloves,
esp. a small press in which the cloves are placed in a compartment and forced through small holes at the bottom.
| 1966 N.Y. Times 20 Oct. d3/1 She produced her latest acquisition, a dime-store *garlic crusher. 2002 Daily Record (Glasgow) (Electronic ed.) 22 Jan. If you love the taste of garlic but hate the smell which lingers on your fingers after preparing it, why not invest in a good garlic crusher to give you the best of both worlds? |