almond

[ah-muhnd, am-uhnd, al-muhnd]

noun

1. the nutlike kernel of the fruit of either of two trees, Prunus dulcis sweet almond or P. dulcis amara bitter almond, which grow in warm temperate regions.

2. the tree itself.

3. a delicate, pale tan.

4. anything shaped like an almond, especially an ornament.

adjective

1. of the color, taste, or shape of an almond.

2. made or flavored with almonds.

   almond cookies.

almond

/ ˈɑːmənd /

noun

1. a small widely cultivated rosaceous tree, Prunus amygdalus, that is native to W Asia and has pink flowers and a green fruit containing an edible nutlike seed

2. the oval-shaped nutlike edible seed of this plant, which has a yellowish-brown shell

3. (modifier) made of or containing almonds

   almond cake

4. 1. a pale yellowish-brown colour

   2. ( as adjective )

      almond wallpaper

5. Also called: almond green. 

   1. yellowish-green colour

   2. ( as adjective )

      an almond skirt

6. anything shaped like an almond nut

Other Word Forms

• almondlike adjective
• almondy adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of almond¹

1250–1300; Middle English almande < Old French (dial.) alemande, probably by transposition of -la < Late Latin amandula, with assimilative replacement of the unfamiliar cluster and adaptation to a known suffix, representing Latin amygdala < Greek amygdálē; replacing Old English amigdal < Latin

Word History and Origins

Origin of almond¹

C13: from Old French almande, from Medieval Latin amandula, from Latin amygdala, from Greek amugdalē

Example Sentences

He’d baked it with almond milk, lemon zest and those same backyard blackberries, set in a baby-blue ceramic pie plate that looked like it had been borrowed from a grandmother’s kitchen.

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For added flair, you can include fruits like grapes or dried apricots, nuts like almonds or pecans and dips or toppings like fig jam and honey.

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The cookie will be filled with “delicious flavors of chocolate, marshmallow and toasted almond–flavored crème,” the organization said in a news release.

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For snacks, I graze rather than feast: dried apricots, dates with almond butter and sea salt, cucumber rolled with herby cream cheese and lunch meat.

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That layer is then generously coated in apple butter and adorned with sliced apples, sliced almonds and flaky sea salt.

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