With respect to the word κάρυα, the Attic writers and all other prose writers call nearly all berries by the generic name of κάρυα, nuts. And Epicharmus calls the almond “the nut,” by way of distinction, as we do, saying—
We eat roast nuts, that is, almonds.Philyllius says—
Eggs, nuts, almonds.And Heracleon the Ephesian writes—“They called almonds κάρυα, and chestnuts, which we now call καστάνεια.” The tree itself is called καρύα by Sophocles, who says—
(κάρυαι,) nut-trees and ash-trees.And Eubulus speaks of
Beeches, nut-trees, Carystian nuts.There are some kinds of nuts, too, which are called μόστηνα.