olive

1 of 2

noun

ol·​ive ˈä-liv 

-ləv

1

a

: a Mediterranean evergreen tree (Olea europaea of the family Oleaceae, the olive family) cultivated for its drupaceous fruit that is an important food and source of oil

also : the fruit

b

: any of various shrubs and trees resembling the olive

2

: any of several colors resembling that of the unripe fruit of the olive tree that are yellowish green

3

: an oval eminence on each ventrolateral aspect of the medulla oblongata

olive

2 of 2

adjective

1

: of the color olive or olive green

2

: approaching olive in color or complexion

Examples of olive in a Sentence

Noun

a sauce made with chopped olives

Does the suit come in olive?

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Free People Madison City denim jacket: $128 Denim doesn’t always have to be blue and this Free People Madison City jacket offers a relaxed and effortless look in colors like olive and tan. —Jené Luciani Sena May Earn A Commission If You Buy Through Our Referral Links. This Content Was Created By A Team That Works Independently From The Fox Newsroom., FOXNews.com, 20 June 2025

He’s made more than 25,000 martinis in his lifetime – some with olives and others with a lemon twist. —Hikmat Mohammed, Footwear News, 16 June 2025

Adjective

And to a collective—of parents and grandparents and ancestors and olive groves and hillsides that endured and perished or endured and survived and passed on their memories and practices and language to me, to us. —Cindy Juyoung Ok june 26, Literary Hub, 26 June 2025

Instead, our six-person group, along with two guides, would be spending six leisurely days biking through cork and olive groves, doing a touch of hiking, trying our hand at surfing, and kayaking the famous sea caves of the Algarve. —Kathy Roberson, Travel + Leisure, 15 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin oliva, from Greek elaia

First Known Use

Noun

1600, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adjective

1657, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing olive

• olive branch
• olive drab
• olive green
• olive oil
• olive ridley
• olive tree
• Russian olive

Kids Definition

olive

noun

ol·​ive

ˈäl-iv,

-əv

1

: a Mediterranean evergreen tree grown for its fruit

also : the edible fruit of the olive tree that is the source of an oil

2

: a yellowish green

olive adjective

Medical Definition

olive

noun

ol·​ive ˈäl-iv, -əv 

1

: an Old World evergreen tree (Olea europaea of the family Oleaceae, the olive family) cultivated for its drupaceous fruit that is an important food and source of oil

also : the fruit

2

: an oval eminence on each ventrolateral aspect of the medulla oblongata that contains the inferior olive of the same side

called also olivary body