almond

almond
\ \ [13] The l in almond is a comparatively recent addition; its immediate source, Latin amandula, did not have one (and nor, correspondingly, do French amande, Portuguese amendoa, Italian mandola, or German mandel).
\ \ But the relative frequency of the prefix al- in Latin-derived words seems to have prompted its grafting on to amandula in its passage from Latin to Old French, giving a hypothetical *almandle and eventually al(e)mande. French in due course dropped the l, but English acquired the word when it was still there.
\ \ Going further back in time, the source of amandula was Latin amygdula, of which it was an alteration, and amygdula in turn was borrowed from the Greek word for ‘almond’, amygdálē. The Latin and Greek forms have been reborrowed into English at a much later date in various scientific terms: amygdala, for instance, an almond-shaped mass of nerve tissue in the brain; amygdalin, a glucoside found in bitter almonds; and amygdaloid, a rock with almondshaped cavities.

Word origins - 2ed. . 2005.

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  • ALMOND — (Heb. שָׁקֵד), one of the choice fruits of the land sent by Jacob to the ruler of Egypt (Gen 43:11). The tree blooms in Israel in January or February, while other fruit trees are still bare. Moreover, the almond blossoms before it is covered with …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • Almond — Alm ond ([aum] m[u^]nd), n. [OE. almande, almaunde, alemaunde, F. amande, L. amygdala, fr. Gr. amygda lh: cf. Sp. almendra. Cf. {Amygdalate}.] 1. The fruit of the almond tree. [1913 Webster] Note: The different kinds, as bitter, sweet, thin… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Almond — Almond, NY U.S. village in New York Population (2000): 461 Housing Units (2000): 214 Land area (2000): 0.564729 sq. miles (1.462641 sq. km) Water area (2000): 0.000000 sq. miles (0.000000 sq. km) Total area (2000): 0.564729 sq. miles (1.462641 sq …   StarDict's U.S. Gazetteer Places

  • almond — [ä′mənd; ] also [ am′ənd & al′mənd, ôl′mənd] n. [ME almande < OFr alemande, amande < ML amandola < L amygdala < Gr amygdalē] 1. a) the edible, nutlike kernel of the small, dry, peachlike fruit of a prunus tree (Prunus amygdalus) that… …   English World dictionary

  • Almond, NY — U.S. village in New York Population (2000): 461 Housing Units (2000): 214 Land area (2000): 0.564729 sq. miles (1.462641 sq. km) Water area (2000): 0.000000 sq. miles (0.000000 sq. km) Total area (2000): 0.564729 sq. miles (1.462641 sq. km) FIPS… …   StarDict's U.S. Gazetteer Places

  • Almond, WI — U.S. village in Wisconsin Population (2000): 459 Housing Units (2000): 199 Land area (2000): 1.031006 sq. miles (2.670294 sq. km) Water area (2000): 0.000000 sq. miles (0.000000 sq. km) Total area (2000): 1.031006 sq. miles (2.670294 sq. km) FIPS …   StarDict's U.S. Gazetteer Places

  • almond — (n.) c.1300, from O.Fr. almande, amande, from V.L. *amendla, *amandula, from L. amygdala (pl.), from Gk. amygdalos an almond tree, of unknown origin, perhaps a Semitic word. Altered in Medieval Latin by influence of amandus loveable, and… …   Etymology dictionary

  • Almond — (Теплице,Чехия) Категория отеля: 3 звездочный отель Адрес: Stará Duchcovská 28, Теплице, 4150 …   Каталог отелей

  • almond — ► NOUN ▪ the oval edible nut like kernel of the almond tree. ORIGIN Old French alemande, from Greek amugdal …   English terms dictionary

  • Almond — For other uses, see Almond (disambiguation). Almond Almond tree with ripening fruit. Majorca, Spain. Scientific classification Kingdom …   Wikipedia

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