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Glite Dictionary
earth almond

earth almond

9.5
A small edible root like a tiny nut that people eat or use in food
  • noun
  • UK
translation icon : chufa
  • Farmers in Spain cultivate earth almond tubers to produce horchata de chufa.

Examples

  • She found earth almonds at the market and used them in her granola recipe.

  • The creamy dessert was made with earth almonds instead of regular nuts.

  • I bought some earth almonds at the local market.

  • The earth almond is a nutritious snack.

  • Farmers in Spain cultivate earth almond tubers to produce horchata de chufa.

  • She found earth almonds at the market and used them in her granola recipe.

  • The creamy dessert was made with earth almonds instead of regular nuts.

Synonyms

nutsedge
vsearth almond
1 9.9

A plant like grass with small edible nutlike parts under the ground

is the specific species rather than the broader genus group
chufa
vsearth almond
  • Specialized
9.9

A small plant with edible parts like nuts that grow under the ground

is the same species but known by another common name
yellow nutgrass
vsearth almond
9.9

A plant with small edible tubers you can dig up and eat

is the same plant but used under another regional name
Cyperus esculentus
vsearth almond
  • Specialized
9.9

A grass-like plant that makes small sweet edible tubers called tiger nuts

is the same plant but used as a common name rather than scientific
nut sedge
vsearth almond
8.5

A grass-like plant with small round edible underground tubers that often grows as a weed

is limited to the European species rather than general widespread types
rush nut
vsearth almond
  • Archaic
9.9

A plant that grows near water and has nut-like parts you can eat

is the single specific species rather than a mixed genus group

Surface Forms

earth almond singular
earth almonds plural

Morphology

earth + almond

The parts 'earth' (from the ground) and 'almond' (a nutlike edible) give clear cues that this is an edible, nut‑like item that grows in the soil, so a B1 learner could infer a ground-grown nut/tuber. However, the exact botanical identity (a sedge tuber, tigernut) and that it is not a true almond are not predictable from the constituents alone, so full understanding requires prior exposure.

Etymology

The noun earth almond comes from the plant's look: its small, edible tubers grow under the ground and look like tiny almonds, so people joined earth and almond to name it. That's why it means a plant with nutlike tubers often called 'tigernut'.