olive

Word family

Related topics: Plants, Hair & beauty, Colours

ol·ive /ˈɒləv $ ˈɑː-/ noun

1. [countableC] a small bitter egg-shaped black or green fruit, used as food and for making oil 橄榄 →5 See picture of black olive 黑橄榄, green olive 绿橄榄 →4 See picture of 见图 olive

2 [countableC] (also olive tree)HBP a tree that produces olives, grown especially in Mediterranean countries 橄榄树

an olive grove

一片橄榄树林

3. DCBCC[uncountableU] (also olive green) a deep yellowish green colour 橄榄绿

4. olive skin/complexion DCBCCskin colour that is typical of people from countries such as Greece, Italy, or Turkey 橄榄色的皮肤/肤色

Examples from the Corpus

olive skin/complexion• She had a long oval face and an olive complexion.• Her skin complemented her hair; she had an olive complexion which shone like burnished gold.• Her eyes were dark and luminous and her faintly olive skin normally carried a dusting of colour, high on her cheekbones.• Of course, I thought, she has olive skin.• His olive skin seemed to glint in the soft light of the hallway; the flat behind him was almost totally dark.• A thick mop of black hair over a man-boy's smooth olive complexion.• The sooty eyes, the olive skin, the coarse black mop of the moustache gave little clue as to his origins.• They were well-groomed, clean-shaven young men with olive complexions.

5. extend/offer/hold out etc an olive branch (to somebody) ARGUEto do or say something in order to show that you want to end an argument with someone (向某人)伸出橄榄枝〔表示愿意和解〕

—olive adjectiveadj

an olive sweatshirt

一件橄榄绿的长袖运动衫

Examples from the Corpus

olive• Stir in zucchini, garbanzo beans, olives, salt and pepper.• Add black olives and tomatoes and simmer sauce vigorously for 4 to 5 minutes to intensify.• Greek black olives• It is delicious in salads of onion, tomato and juicy black olives, sprinkled with fresh oregano.• Lunch was a collation of local salami, black olives, spring onions and dark soft rye-bread.• Just taste those black olives, and the feta.• The luncheon table in the little cottage was spread with cheese, olives, sardines and bread.• This is easily remedied, but a new olive may be required.

olive grove• His island, she mused, as she drove through almond and olive groves.• In minutes you can leave the sea for chestnut trees and olive groves.• These men also have olive groves and cold-press their own virgin oil.• And what about the olive grove at Spello?• Out among the olive groves and white-washed villages, or in the streets and galleries, you realise how little has changed.• Below the olive groves, sloping fields produce lush vines and the valleys are full of sunflowers, tomatoes and maize.• On a rocky unmade track through the olive groves, we might have strayed through a time warp into a Biblical landscape.• Situated on the eastern shore of the lake with a backdrop of terraced vineyards, olive groves and cypress trees.

Origin olive

(1100-1200) Old French Latin oliva, from Greek elaia

ol·ive noun

Chinese

Syllable

Corpus