'almud' originates from Arabic, specifically the word 'al-mudd', where 'al-' meant 'the' and 'mudd' referred to a specific measure of capacity.

'al-mudd' transformed into the Spanish word 'almud', and eventually became the modern English word 'almud'.

Initially, it meant 'a specific measure of capacity', but over time it evolved into its current meaning of 'a unit of measure for dry goods'.