Almond
the fruit of the almond tree.
It is a slight ovate drupe, externally downy. There are two varieties of it, the one sweet and the other bitter.
Sweet almonds are eaten. Bitter almonds contain prussic acid, and, eaten in large quantities, are poisonous.
Also, the tree on which the fruit described grows, the amygdalus communis, of which there are two varieties, the amygdalus communis, simply so termed, and the amygdalus communa, variety amara, or bitter almond. The former has pink and the latter white flowers. Both varieties are found in the south of Europe, the sweet one being the more common. They seem to have come originally from Persia, Asia Minor, Syria, and the north of Africa.
In anatomy, the almonds of the throat, or tonsils, are two round glands placed at the base of the tongue on either side.