olive Meaning, Definition & Usage

noun small ovoid fruit of the European olive tree; important food and source of oil
noun evergreen tree cultivated in the Mediterranean region since antiquity and now elsewhere; has edible shiny black fruits
European olive tree; Olea europaea.
noun hard yellow often variegated wood of an olive tree; used in cabinetwork
noun one-seeded fruit of the European olive tree usually pickled and used as a relish
noun a yellow-green color of low brightness and saturation
adjective satellite of a yellow-green color similar to that of an unripe olive

F., fr. L. oliva, akin to Gr. . See Oil.

(Bot.) (a) 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. (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.
(Zoöl.) (a) Any shell of the genus Oliva and allied genera; -- so called from the form. See Oliva. (b) The oyster catcher. Prov.Eng.
(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.
(Anat.) An olivary body. See under Olivary.
(Cookery) A small slice of meat seasoned, rolled up, and cooked; as, olives of beef or veal. ✍ 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.

Approaching the color of the olive; of a peculiar dark brownish, yellowish, or tawny green.