- almond
- c.1300, from O.Fr. almande, from V.L. *amendla, *amandula, from L. amygdala, from Gk. amygdale, of unknown origin, perhaps a Sem. word. Altered in M.L. by infl. of amandus "loveable," and acquiring in Fr. an excrescent -l- perhaps from Sp. almendra "almond," which got it via confusion with the Arabic definite article al-, which formed the beginnings of many Sp. words. Applied to eyes shaped like almonds, esp. of certain Asiatic peoples, from 1870.
- amygdala
- "the tonsils," 1540s, from L., from Gk. amygdale "almond" (see almond). The anatomical use is as a direct transl, of Arabic al-lauzatan "the two tonsils," lit. "the two almonds," so called by Arabic physicians for fancied resemblance.
- Amaretto
- It. almond-flavored liqueur, 1945 (the original brand, Amaretto di Saronno, dates to 1851), from the It. word for almond (q.v.), which did not acquire the excrescent -l- of the Eng. word. Sometimes confused with amoretto (1590s), from It., lit. "little love," a dim. of amore "love." This word was variously applied to love sonnets, cupids, etc. Amoroso (lit. "lover"), a type of sweetened sherry, is attested from c.1870.
- milk of magnesia
- 1880, proprietary name for white suspension of magnesium hydroxide in water, taken as an antacid, invented by U.S. chemist Charles Henry Phillips. Herbal or culinary preparations resembling milk had been similarly named (e.g. milk of almond) since c.1430.
- alpaca
- 1792, from Sp., probably from Aymara allpaca, related to Quechua p'ake "yellowish-red." The al- is perhaps from the Arabic definite article (see almond).