olive

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,^[1] possibly Proto-Berber *wlw (“wild olive”).^[2] More questionably, maybe from Proto-Indo-European *loiwom (compare Old Church Slavonic лои (loi, “tallow”), Old Armenian եւղ (ewł, “oil”)).^[3] Doublet of oliva. Displaced native Old English eleberġe, literally "oil berry."

• (UK) enPR: ŏl'ĭv, IPA^(key): /ˈɒ.lɪv/

  • Audio (UK):

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• (US) enPR: ä'lĭv, IPA^(key): /ˈɑ.lɪv/

  • Audio (US):

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olive (plural olives)

1. A tree of species Olea europaea cultivated since ancient times in the Mediterranean for its fruit and the oil obtained from it.
3. The small oval fruit of this tree, eaten ripe (usually black) or unripe (usually green).
   • 2010, Mary Ellen Snodgrass, Peter Carey: A Literary Companion, page 100:

     Trevor, like an Aussie outbacker, eats snacks and a pickup meal of bread, cantaloupe, olives, mangoes, and melon.

4. The wood of the olive tree.
6. A dark yellowish-green color, that of an unripe olive.

   olive:  

7. (neuroanatomy) An olivary body, part of the medulla oblongata.
8. 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.
9. (cooking) A small slice of meat seasoned, rolled up, and cooked.

   a beef olive

   olives of veal

10. Any shell of the genus Oliva and allied genera; so called from the shape.
11. (UK, dialect) An oystercatcher, a shore bird of genus Haematopus.

• → Maori: ōriwa

olive (comparative more olive, superlative most olive)

1. Of a grayish green color, that of an unripe olive.
   • 1907 January, Harold Bindloss, chapter 22, in The Dust of Conflict, 1st Canadian edition, Toronto, Ont.: McLeod & Allen, →OCLC:

     Appleby […] rose from his seat when Morales came in. He shook hands urbanely, unbuckled his sword, and laid his kepi on the table, and then sat down with an expression of concern in his olive face which Appleby fancied was assumed.

   • 2015, Shane R. Reeves, David Wallace, “The Combatant Status of the “Little Green Men” and Other Participants in the Ukraine Conflict”, in International Law Studies, US Naval War College‎^[1], volume 91, number 361, Stockton Center for the Study of International Law, page 393:

     The “little green men”—faces covered, wearing unmarked olive uniforms, speaking Russian and using Russian weapons—have played a significant role in both the occupation of Crimea and the civil war in eastern Ukraine.¹⁹⁶

• à la grecque
• Castile soap
• Gethsemane
• Wiktionary appendix of colours

• lovie, viole, voile

Inherited from Old French olive, from Latin olīva.

• IPA^(key): /ɔ.liv/

• Audio (France):

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olive f (plural olives)

1. olive

• huile d'olive
• olive noire
• olive verte
• olivier

• Romanian: olivă

• “olive”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

• viole, violé, voile, voilé

• IPA^(key): /oˈli.ve/
• Rhymes: -ive
• Hyphenation: o‧lì‧ve

olive f

1. plural of oliva

• Elvio, ovile, viole, voile

olive

1. alternative form of olyve

olive

1. alternative form of alyve

Borrowed from Latin oliva.

• IPA^(key): (before 13^th CE) /ˈɔliːvə/, /ˈɔliːfə/

olīve f

1. olive tree

   Synonym: öleboum

• German: Olive
  • →? Hunsrik: Oliv

• Benecke, Georg Friedrich, Müller, Wilhelm, Zarncke, Friedrich (1863) “olive”, in Mittelhochdeutsches Wörterbuch: mit Benutzung des Nachlasses von Benecke, Stuttgart: S. Hirzel
• "olīve" in Köbler, Gerhard, Mittelhochdeutsches Wörterbuch (3rd edition 2014)

From Latin olīva.

olive m or f

1. olive tree

olive oblique singular, f (oblique plural olives, nominative singular olive, nominative plural olives)

1. olive

• → English: olive
• French: olive
  • Romanian: olivă

• IPA^(key): /ˈɔlivɛ/

olive

1. dative singular of oliva
2. locative singular of oliva