What does "olive" mean?
Olive: (Zoöl.) (a) Any shell of the genus Oliva and allied genera; -- so called from the form. See Oliva. (b) The oyster catcher. [Prov.Eng.]
Additional senses
- 2.(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.
- 3.(Anat.) An olivary body. See under Olivary.
- 4.(Cookery) A small slice of meat seasoned, rolled up, and cooked; as, olives of beef or veal. 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. Bohemian olive (Bot.), a species of Elæagnus (E. 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. -- 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.
- 5.Approaching the color of the olive; of a peculiar dark brownish, yellowish, or tawny green.
Sources
- Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913 edition (public domain, via GCIDE / Project Gutenberg).
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- Published: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00 · Modified: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00