olive

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   A small, oval fruit with a stone inside, eaten as food or pressed for its oil; green when unripe, black when ripe.

   She added black olives and feta cheese to the Greek salad.

2. 2
   noun

   The evergreen Mediterranean tree that produces this fruit.

   Rows of ancient olives covered the hillside above the village.

3. 3
   adj

   Having a dull yellowish-green colour, like an unripe olive.

   He wore an olive jacket that blended into the forest.

4. 4
   noun

   A dull yellowish-green colour.

   The walls were painted a soft olive that calmed the room.

From Middle English olyve, from Old French olive (“olive, olive tree”), from Latin olīva (“olive”), itself either from 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, l…

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