almond

[ ah-muhnd, am-uhnd; spelling pronunciation 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.

  1. a delicate, pale tan.

  2. 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.

Origin of almond

1
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

Other words from almond

  • al·mond·like, al·mond·y, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use almond in a sentence

  • Not hearing the click of the key to "AP Studio" room 803 makes my thoughts turn to those sweet almondy cyanide capsules.

    The Bag Lady Papers | Alexandra Penney | December 17, 2008 | THE DAILY BEAST

British Dictionary definitions for almond

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

  1. (modifier) made of or containing almonds: almond cake Related adjectives: amygdaline, amygdaloid

    • a pale yellowish-brown colour

    • (as adjective): almond wallpaper

  2. Also called: almond green

    • yellowish-green colour

    • (as adjective): an almond skirt

  3. anything shaped like an almond nut

Origin of almond

1
C13: from Old French almande, from Medieval Latin amandula, from Latin amygdala, from Greek amugdalē

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012