Olive \Ol"ive\, n. [F., fr. L. oliva, akin to Gr. ?. See Oil.]
1. (Bot.)
(a) A tree (Olea Europaea) 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.
(b) 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.
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2. (Zool.)
(a) Any shell of the genus Oliva and allied genera; --
so called from the form. See Oliva.
(b) The oyster catcher. [Prov. Eng.]
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3.
(a) The color of the olive, a peculiar dark brownish,
yellowish, or tawny green.
(b) One of the tertiary colors, composed of violet and
green mixed in equal strength and proportion.
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4. (Anat.) An olivary body. See under Olivary.
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5. (Cookery) A small slice of meat seasoned, rolled up, and
cooked; as, olives of beef or veal.
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Note: Olive is sometimes used adjectively and in the
formation of self-explaining compounds; as, olive
brown, olive green, olive-colored, olive-skinned, olive
crown, olive garden, olive tree, olive yard, etc.
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Bohemian olive (Bot.), a species of Elaeagnus (Elaeagnus
angustifolia), the flowers of which are sometimes used in
Southern Europe as a remedy for fevers.
Olive branch.
(a) A branch of the olive tree, considered an emblem of
peace.
(b) (Fig.): A child.
to hold out an olive branch, to offer to make peace (with a
rival or enemy).
Olive brown, brown with a tinge of green.
Olive green, a dark brownish green, like the color of the
olive.
Olive oil, an oil expressed from the ripe fruit of the
olive, and much used as a salad oil, also in medicine and
the arts.
Olive ore (Min.), olivenite.
Wild olive (Bot.), a name given to the oleaster or wild
stock of the olive; also variously to several trees more
or less resembling the olive.
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