garlic

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   A plant with a strong-tasting bulb, used to add flavour to food.

   She added two cloves of garlic to the tomato sauce.

2. 2
   verb

   To add garlic to food for flavour.

   He garlicked the bread before putting it in the oven.

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”).

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