olive [ME] The word olive comes from Greek elaion ‘oil’. To hold out an olive branch is to make an offer of peace and reconciliation. Olive branches as emblems of peace and goodwill feature in both classical mythology and biblical tradition [ME]. In ancient Greece olive crowns were presented to winners in the Olympic Games and to worthy civic dignitaries, and brides would wear olive garlands. In the story of Noah and the Ark in the Bible, a dove returns to Noah with an olive leaf (often described as a branch) to indicate that God is no longer angry and that the waters of the flood have begun to recede. See also dove.