bitter almond
1
9.7
- noun
- /ˈbɪtər ˈɑlmənd/
:
almendra amarga
- The oil derived from bitter almonds is often used for flavoring in various dishes.
Examples
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Many people are unaware that bitter almonds can be dangerous due to their poisonous nuts.
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Bitter almonds contain a toxic chemical called amygdalin that can be harmful if consumed.
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There are both sweet and bitter almonds, based on where it's grown.
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The faint smell of bitter almonds.
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Bitter almonds grow close to their origin in the Middle East and Southeast Asia.
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The difference lies in the toxic chemical, amygdalin, found in the bitter almonds.
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To extract the amygdalin from the bitter almonds, the almonds must be heated.
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Synonyms
An almond tree with white flowers that makes bitter poisonous nuts used to make oil for flavor and medicine
A kind of almond tree with white flowers that has poisonous nuts used to make oil for flavoring and medicine
How Poisonous
Surface Forms
Morphology
This is a straightforward adjective + noun combination: a B1 learner who knows 'bitter' and 'almond' can infer it refers to an almond that tastes bitter or a variety characterized by bitterness; the detailed botanical/poisonous information is specialist but does not prevent understanding the basic sense. The ADJ+N compositional pattern is common across languages, so the meaning is directly derivable from the constituents.
Etymology
Bitter almond gets its name from the nut's strong, bitter taste because the words bitter and almond describe that sharp flavor and the nut itself. A substance inside the nut can make you ill, so people used bitter almonds only in small amounts for oil or flavoring instead of eating them, and today the name means a kind of almond that is 'poisonous' if eaten raw.