Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A widely cultivated evergreen tree (Olea europaea) native to the Mediterranean region, having fragrant white flowers, gray-green lance-shaped leathery leaves, and edible fruit with oil-rich flesh surrounding a hard stone.
  • noun The small oval fruit of this tree, usually changing in color from green to black as it ripens, used for food and as a source of oil.
  • noun Any of various similar or related plants, such as the Russian olive.
  • noun A yellow green of low to medium lightness and low to moderate saturation.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun Elæocarpus cyaneus. Compare olive-nut.
  • noun Notelæa ovata. See dunga-runga and Notelæa.
  • noun The Queensland olive, Olea paniculata. See marblewood, 2.
  • noun The oil-tree, Olea Europæa, cultivated from the earliest times in Syria and Palestine, and thence in remote antiquity distributed throughout the whole Mediterranean region: in recent times it has been successfully planted in Australia, southern California, and elsewhere.
  • noun The fruit of the common olive-tree, a small ellipsoid drupe (the “berry”), bluish-black in color when fully ripe.
  • noun A tree of some other species of Olea, or of some other genus resembling the olive. See Olea, and phrases below.
  • noun The color of the unripe olive; a color composed of yellow, black, red, and white in such proportions as to form a low-toned dull green, slightly yellow.
  • noun Same as oliva, 1.
  • noun A perforated plate in the strap of a satchel or traveling-bag, through which the stud or button passes to fasten it.
  • noun A long oval button over which loops of braid are passed as a fastening for cloaks, etc.
  • noun In anatomy, the olivary body of the medulla oblongata.
  • noun In conchology, an olive-shell.
  • noun In ornithology, the oyster-catcher, Hæmatopus ostrilegus.
  • noun One of various trees of other genera: in Europe, Elæagnus angustifolia, Rhus Cotinus, and Thymelæa Sanamunda (Daphne Thymelæa); in the West Indies, Bontia daphnoides, Ximenia Americana, Terminalia Buceras, and T. capitata; in India, Putranjiva Roxburghii.
  • Relating to the olive; of the color of the unripe olive; olivaceous; of a dull, somewhat yellowish green: also, of the color of the olive-tree, which in general effect is of a dull ashen-green, with distinctly silvery shading.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun A tree (Olea Europæa) with small oblong or elliptical leaves, axillary clusters of flowers, and oval, one-seeded drupes. The tree has been cultivated for its fruit for thousands of years, and its branches are the emblems of peace. The wood is yellowish brown and beautifully variegated.
  • noun The fruit of the olive. It has been much improved by cultivation, and is used for making pickles. Olive oil is pressed from its flesh.
  • noun Prov. Eng., Prov. Eng. Any shell of the genus Oliva and allied genera; -- so called from the form. See Oliva.
  • noun Prov. Eng. The oyster catcher.
  • noun The color of the olive, a peculiar dark brownish, yellowish, or tawny green.
  • noun One of the tertiary colors, composed of violet and green mixed in equal strength and proportion.
  • noun (Anat.) An olivary body. See under Olivary.
  • noun (Cookery) A small slice of meat seasoned, rolled up, and cooked.
  • noun (Bot.) a species of Elæagnus (Elæagnus angustifolia), the flowers of which are sometimes used in Southern Europe as a remedy for fevers.
  • noun (Fig.) A child.
  • noun to offer to make peace (with a rival or enemy).
  • noun brown with a tinge of green.
  • noun a dark brownish green, like the color of the olive.
  • noun an oil expressed from the ripe fruit of the olive, and much used as a salad oil, also in medicine and the arts.
  • noun (Min.) olivenite.
  • noun (Bot.) a name given to the oleaster or wild stock of the olive; also variously to several trees more or less resembling the olive.
  • adjective Approaching the color of the olive; of a peculiar dark brownish, yellowish, or tawny green.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun An evergreen tree, Olea europaea, cultivated since ancient times in the Mediterranean for its fruit and the oil obtained from it.
  • noun The small oval fruit of this tree, eaten ripe (usually black) or unripe (usually green).
  • noun The wood of the olive tree.
  • noun A dark yellowish-green color, that of an unripe olive.
  • noun anatomy An olivary body, part of the medulla oblongata.
  • noun A component of a plumbing compression joint; a ring which is placed between the nut and the pipe and compressed during fastening to provide a seal.
  • adjective Of a grayish green color, that of an unripe olive.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun evergreen tree cultivated in the Mediterranean region since antiquity and now elsewhere; has edible shiny black fruits
  • noun one-seeded fruit of the European olive tree usually pickled and used as a relish
  • noun hard yellow often variegated wood of an olive tree; used in cabinetwork

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English, from Latin olīva, from Greek *elaiwā, elaiā.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Old French olive ("olive, olive tree"), from Latin olīva ("olive"), from Ancient Greek ἐλαία (elaía), from Proto-Indo-European *loiu̯om (compare Old Church Slavonic lojŭ ("tallow"), Old Armenian եւղ (ewł, "oil")).

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word olive.

Examples

  • um..yeah. olive garden is not expensive it all..it's quite cheep acutally. & olive garden is the best italian place in this world. so whatever you say about it..olive garden is fine!

    Olive Garden vs. C&O Trattoria, Marina Del Rey - Who's more Italian? e d b m 2005

  • A way around this would be to purchase 100\% extra virgin olive oil, but be sure to avoid the term olive oil as most of it is blended with some GMO cottonseed or canola.

    Mathaba Highlights Briefing 2008

  • American girls ', but is what they call olive complexion, like stuffed olives you buy in bottles, stuffed with cayenne pepper, but the girls are just like the cayenne pepper, so warm that you want to throw water on yourself after they have touched you.

    Peck's Bad Boy Abroad Being a Humorous Description of the Bad Boy and His Dad in Their Journeys Through Foreign Lands - 1904 1878

  • The men are despicable looking people, of small stature, of a colour between black and yellow, which we call olive, having voices like women, and long black hair flowing on their shoulders.

    A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels — Volume 07 Robert Kerr 1784

  • The "olive" is made with a technique that Mr. Adri à calls "spherification," in which a flavored liquid is enclosed in a skin made of the same substance.

    Putting on Airs Moira Hodgson 2010

  • The "olive" is chosen to represent the adoption of Judah by the free grace of God, as its oil is the image of richness (compare Ps 23: 5; 104: 15). with ... noise of ... tumult -- or, "at the noise," &c., namely, at the tumult of the invading army (Isa 13: 4) [Maurer].

    Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible 1871

  • There are always interesting foods to sample at Felidia, including a changing menu that highlights a particular Italian region and dishes selected to complement specific extra-virgin olive oils.

    Five Best Italian Restaurants in NYC | myFiveBest 2009

  • Vanilla soy milk is a fantastic substitute, and stir frying things in olive oil tastes just as good.

    Allergy. « 2010

  • We took your advice and went out to Downtown Puteax, a part of te Paris conurbation at La Defense and bought some artisanally cured ham, a bagette of extraordinary quality, some fresh and sweet cherry tomatoes, some incredible cheese, mayonaisse made with extra virgin olive oil and that will see us through the day with a bit of red wine and an eclair.

    I Love Paris in the Summer When it Drizzles 2009

  • Here were old friends aboard, who fried my black bass in olive oil.

    Chapter 22 2010

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.

  • I think this is the most beautiful word. Olive.

    January 11, 2007