almond

almond · noun, adjective¹

1. Ancient Greekἀμυγδάλη (amugdálē)
2. Arabicلَوْز (lawz)
3. Latinamygdala
4. Late Latinamandula
5. Old Frenchalemande
6. Middle Englishalmaunde
7. English todayalmond

From Middle English almaunde, from Old French alemande (also amande), from Late Latin 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. Pronunciations with /l/ are likely originally spelling pronunciations; most Early Modern, 18th-century and 19th-century sources give pronunciations without it, although a form with /l/ appears in the 16th-century orthoepist William Bullokar.

Almond · proper noun²

1. Old French · derived fromalemaund“German”
2. Old French · derived fromaleman“German”
3. Old English · inherited fromÆþelmund
4. English todayAlmond

* From the Middle English given name Almund, from the coalescence of Old English Æþelmund (literally “noble protector”) and Ealhmund (literally “temple protector”). * Variant of Allman (from Old French aleman (“German”) or alemayne (“from Germany”)) and Allmand (from Old French alemaund (“German”)), assimilated after almond by folk etymology.

Almond · proper noun³

According to John Reynolds, a historian of the town in New York, it was named for a place in Scotland, not the almond, which would most likely not have been available there then, hence the pronunciation is different. A native of it, James F. Moore, was the first postmaster of the village in Wisconsin.

Almond · proper noun⁴

1. Proto-Brythonic · derived from*aβon“river”
2. Scottish Gaelic · derived fromÀmain
3. English todayAlmond

Altered after almond from earlier Ammon, from Scottish Gaelic Àmain, from Proto-Brythonic *aβon (“river”). Doublet of Avon.

Words from the same roots