Etymology tree
Ancient Greek ἀμυγδάλη (amugdálē)bor.
▲
Arabic لَوْز (lawz)sl.
Latin amygdala
Vulgar Latin *amendlader.
Old French almandebor.
Middle English almond
English almond
From Middle English almond, almaund, from Old French almande, amande, from Vulgar Latin *amendla, *amandula, from Latin amygdala, from Ancient Greek ἀμυγδάλη (amugdálē), of uncertain origin. Influenced by amandus and by many European words of Arabic origin beginning with the Arabic definite article Arabic ال (al-). Compare Spanish almóndiga and Portuguese almôndega (“meatball”) from Andalusian Arabic البُنْدُقَة (“hazelnut al-bunduqa”). Doublet of amygdala, amygdale, and mandorla.
ms badam (resembling the colour of an almond nut) · pt amendoado (resembling the colour of an almond nut) · no mandelfarget (resembling the colour of an almond nut) · de mandelfarbig (resembling the colour of an almond nut) · sv mandelfärgad (resembling the colour of an almond nut) · de mandelfarben (resembling the colour of an almond nut) · tl almon (resembling the colour of an almond nut) · fi mantelinvalkoinen (resembling the colour of an almond nut) · cs mandlový (resembling the colour of an almond nut) · fi mantelinvärinen (resembling the colour of an almond nut) · pl migdałowy (resembling the colour of an almond nut) · nl amandelkleurig (resembling the colour of an almond nut) · bg бадемов (resembling the colour of an almond nut)
Etymology tree
Ancient Greek ἀμυγδάλη (amugdálē)bor.
▲
Arabic لَوْز (lawz)sl.
Latin amygdala
Vulgar Latin *amendlader.
Old French almandebor.
Middle English almond
English almond
From Middle English almond, almaund, from Old French almande, amande, from Vulgar Latin *amendla, *amandula, from Latin amygdala, from Ancient Greek ἀμυγδάλη (amugdálē), of uncertain origin. Influenced by amandus and by many European words of Arabic origin beginning with the Arabic definite article Arabic ال (al-). Compare Spanish almóndiga and Portuguese almôndega (“meatball”) from Andalusian Arabic البُنْدُقَة (“hazelnut al-bunduqa”). Doublet of amygdala, amygdale, and mandorla.
Meanings
(countable) The seed within the drupe of a small deciduous tree in family Rosaceae, Prunus amygdalus, considered a culinary nut.
(countable) The tree that produces almonds.
In early March the almonds are in flower, delicately pink, and there are washes of bright daffodils beneath the orchard trees; you can see women gathering them for market. 2004, Richard Fortey, The Earth, Folio Society, published 2011, page 3:
(countable, uncountable) Other plants that produce almond-like nuts: ▸ bitter almond. of variety Prunus amygdalus var. amara, (syn. Prunus dulcis var. amara), that only produces bitter fruits
(countable, uncountable) Other plants that produce almond-like nuts: ▸ flowering almond (Prunus japonica), an ornamental shrub in family Rosaceae
(countable, uncountable) Other plants that produce almond-like nuts: ▸ desert almond (Prunus andersonii), a North American shrub in family Rosaceae
(countable, uncountable) Other plants that produce almond-like nuts: ▸ desert range almond or wild almond (Prunus fasciculata), North American shrub in family Rosaceae
(countable, uncountable) Other plants that produce almond-like nuts: ▸ Indian almond or tropical almond (Terminalia catappa), in family Combretaceae
(countable, uncountable) Other plants that produce almond-like nuts: ▸ bitter almond (Brabejum stellatifolium), in family Proteaceae
(uncountable) The colour of the kernel of an almond without its shell and thin seed coat, a creamy off-white colour.
(uncountable) The colour of an almond still covered by its skin, a shade of brown.
(uncountable) Flavour or other characteristics of almond.
I can't eat it if it has too much almond in it.
(countable, uncountable) Anything shaped like an almond; specifically, (anatomy, archaic) a tonsil.
The next set are shorter, and are more contracted or acuminated at their posterior end, where they are contiguous to the almonds or tonsils. 1828, David Craigie, Elements of General and Pathological Anatomy: