ALMOND

AL'MOND, noun 1. The fruit of the almond tree; an ovate, compressed nut, perforated in the pores. It is either sweet or bitter. [It is popularly pronounced ammond.]2. The tonsils, two glands near the basis of the tongue, are called almonds, from their resemblance to that nut; vulgularly, but improperly, called the almonds of the ears, as they belong to the throat.3. In Portugal, a measure by which wine is sold, twenty-six of which make a pipe.[But in Portuguese it is written almude.]4. Among lapidaries, almonds signify pieces of rock crystal, used in adorning branch candlesticks, so called from their resemblance to this fruit.

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Almond. Almond
A native of Syria and Palestine. In form, blossoms, and fruit it resembles the peach tree. Its blossoms are of a very pale pink colour, and appear before its leaves. Its Hebrew name, shaked, signifying “wakeful, hastening,” is given to it on account of its putting forth its blossoms so early, generally in February, and sometimes even in January. In Eccl. 12:5, it is referred to as illustrative, probably, of the haste with which old age comes. There are others, however, who still contend for the old interpretation here. “The almond tree bears its blossoms in the midst of winter, on a naked, leafless stem, and these blossoms (reddish or flesh-coloured in the beginning) seem at the time of their fall exactly like white snow-flakes. In this way the almond blossom is a very fitting symbol of old age, with its silvery hair and its wintry, dry, barren, unfruitful condition.” In Jer. 1:11 “I see a rod of an almond tree [shaked]...for I will hasten [shaked] my word to perform it” the word is used as an emblem of promptitude. Jacob desired his sons (Gen. 43:11) to take with them into Egypt of the best fruits of the land, almonds, etc., as a present to Joseph, probably because this tree was not a native of Egypt. Aaron’s rod yielded almonds (Num. 17:8; Heb. 9:4). Moses was directed to make certain parts of the candlestick for the ark of carved work “like unto almonds” (Ex. 25:33, 34). The Hebrew word luz, translated “hazel” in the Authorized Version (Gen. 30:37), is rendered in the Revised Version “almond.” It is probable that luz denotes the wild almond, while shaked denotes the cultivated variety.

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ALMOND. → (A tree) → Fruit of Ge 43:11 → Aaron's rod of the Nu 11:8 → Bowls of candlestick in the tabernacle fashioned after the nuts of the Ex 25:33,34; 37:19,20 → FIGURATIVE USE OF

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almond. Almond, n. the nut of a tree, a fruit

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Alm″ond (ä″mŭnd), n. [[OE. almande, almaunde, alemaunde, F. amande, L. amygdala, fr. Gr. αμυγδἄλη: cf. Sp. almendra. Cf. Amygdalate.]] 1. 1. The fruit of the almond tree.
☞ The different kinds, as bitter, sweet, thin-shelled, thick-shelled almonds, and Jordan almonds, are the products of different varieties of the one species, Amygdalus communis, a native of the Mediterranean region and western Asia. 2. 2. The tree that bears the fruit; almond tree.
3. 3. Anything shaped like an almond. Specifically: (Anat.) One of the tonsils.
Almond oil, fixed oil expressed from sweet or bitter almonds. — Oil of bitter almonds, a poisonous volatile oil obtained from bitter almonds by maceration and distillation; benzoic aldehyde. — Imitation oil of bitter almonds, nitrobenzene. — Almond tree (Bot.), the tree bearing the almond. — Almond willow (Bot.), a willow which has leaves that are of a light green on both sides; almond-leaved willow (Salix amygdalina). Shenstone.