Ol"ive (?), n. [F., fr. L.
oliva, akin to Gr. &?;. See Oil.] 1.
(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.
2. (Zoöl.) (a)
Any shell of the genus Oliva and allied genera; -- so called
from the form. See Oliva. (b) The
oyster catcher. [Prov.Eng.]
3. (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.
4. (Anat.) An olivary body. See under
Olivary.
5. (Cookery) A small slice of meat
seasoned, rolled up, and cooked; as, olives of beef or
veal.
&fist; 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.
Ol"ive, a. Approaching the color
of the olive; of a peculiar dark brownish, yellowish, or tawny
green.
