Mandorlas

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A visual or architectural shape resembling a pointed oval, typically used in art to frame figures, often associated with divine or holy representations
2. An almond-shaped form often found in religious iconography that symbolizes the intersection of the divine and the human
3. A design element that evokes the concept of sacred space or enlightenment, typically featuring a pointed top and a broad base, resembling a traditional almond shape

Etymology: "Mandorlas" is simply the plural of "mandorla," an Italian word meaning "almond." English took the term directly from Italian, and it sits in a family of words that all descend from the same ancient fruit name: "almond," "amygdala," and "amygdale" are doublets, meaning they reached English by different routes from the same source. The sense of the word as an almond-shaped halo has its origin in Italian religious art. Artists painted the figure of Christ or the Virgin Mary enclosed in an oval of light, which the Italian word named after the almond, because the shape of the nut was the closest familiar image of a pointed oval with a broad base. The almond-shaped glory thus carried the fruit's form into sacred imagery.