English Explanatory Dictionary

olive

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. A tree of species Olea europaea cultivated since ancient times in the Mediterranean for its fruit and the oil obtained from it.
  2. The small oval fruit of this tree, eaten ripe (usually black) or unripe (usually green).
  3. The wood of the olive tree.
  4. A dark yellowish-green color, that of an unripe olive.
  5. An olivary body, part of the medulla oblongata.
  6. 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.
  7. A small slice of meat seasoned, rolled up, and cooked.
  8. Any shell of the genus Oliva and allied genera; so called from the shape.
  9. An oystercatcher, a shore bird of genus Haematopus.
adj
  1. Of a grayish green color, that of an unripe olive.
name
  1. A female given name from English.
  2. A surname.
  3. A male given name from English.
  4. A number of places in the United States:
  5. A community in the city of Orange, Orange County, California.
  6. A township and unincorporated community therein, in St. Joseph County, Indiana.
  7. An unincorporated community in Dallas County, Missouri, named after a Baptist church.
  8. An unincorporated community in Powder River County, Montana.
  9. A town in Ulster County, New York, from the bible story of dove and olive branch.
  10. An unincorporated community in Creek County, Oklahoma, from the girl's name.
  11. An unincorporated community in Spotsylvania County, Virginia.
  12. An unincorporated community in Pocahontas County, West Virginia.

Pronunciation

ŏl'ĭv /ˈɒ.lɪv/ En-uk-olive.ogg ä'lĭv /ˈɑ.lɪv/ En-us-olive.ogg

Word forms

olive olives more olive most olive

Etymology

From Middle English olyve, from Old French olive (“olive, olive tree”), from Latin olīva (“olive”), itself from either Etruscan *𐌄𐌋𐌄𐌉𐌅𐌀 (*eleiva), Pre-Classical Greek *ἐλαίϝα (*elaíwa) (compare Mycenaean Greek 𐀁𐀨𐀷 (e-ra-wa), Ancient Greek ἐλαία (elaía)), or the same source as those two. In any case, ultimately from a Mediterranean Pre-Greek source, possibly Proto-Berber *wlw (“wild olive”). More questionably, maybe from Proto-Indo-European *loiwom (compare Old Church Slavonic лои (loi, “tallow”), Old Armenian եւղ (ewł, “oil”)). Doublet of oliva and oil. Displaced native Old English eleberġe, literally "oil berry."

Related words

oil oleaster olivenite olivewood Olivia olivine à la grecque Castile soap Gethsemane Wiktionary appendix of colours

Derived words

autumn olive beef olive black olive Bohemian olive Chinese olive dwarf olive first olive out of the bottle first olive out of the jar green olive holly olive kalamata olive Mission olive mock olive Mount Olive netted olive Niçoise olive olivaceous olive baboon oliveback olive-backed oriole olive-backed pipit olive-backed sunbird olive-backed thrush olive barb olive bee-eater olive box olive-branch olive branch olive-branched olive bread olive bulbul olive burger olive coleus olive colobus olive crown olived olive drab olive finch olive flounder olive fly olive flyrobin olive fruit fly olive green olive grove olivegrower olivegrowing olive honeyeater olive ibis olive juice olive knot olive lace bug oliveless olivelike olive loaf olive long-tailed cuckoo olive mangrove olive marsh snake olive moth oliveness olive oil

Translations

Bengali: জয়তূনী Czech: olivový Dutch: olijfgroen Finnish: oliivinvihreä Greek: λαδί Hindi: तैलबदर Hindi: तैलबदर रंग Hindi: तैलबदर हरि Ido: olivea Italian: verde oliva Japanese: オリーブ色 Japanese: 橄欖色 Korean: 올리브색 Northern Kurdish: zeytûnî Northern Kurdish: rengzeytûnî Malagasy: oliva volo Persian: رنگ زیتونی Persian: زیتونی Polish: oliwkowy Portuguese: verde-oliva Russian: оли́вковый Serbo-Croatian: маслинаста Serbo-Croatian: maslinasta Slovene: olivno zelena Spanish: verde oliva Spanish: aceitunado Swedish: oliv Swedish: olivgrönt Turkish: zeytin Ukrainian: оли́вковий Urdu: زیتون رنگ
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