This term refers to the almond tree or its wood, appearing in Genesis 30:37 where Jacob uses almond rods in his breeding strategy. The word is common in later Hebrew and Aramaic, and was borrowed into Arabic. The almond was valued both for its early blossoming (hence its use symbolically elsewhere) and its white wood. Jacob strips the bark from fresh almond branches along with poplar and plane trees, creating white streaks to influence the coloring of Laban's flocks.