OLIVE BRANCH Definition & Meaning

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olive branch

[ ol-iv branch ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

a branch of the olive tree as an emblem of peace:
One of their national emblems is a white dove clutching the olive branch of peace.
any token of peace:
The new prime minister has pursued a reconciliation strategy, extending an olive branch to dissidents and rebel groups.
Still in a snit, she snubbed his olive branch a few days later by blocking his phone call.

olive branch

noun

a branch of an olive tree used to symbolize peace
any offering of peace or conciliation

olive branch

The branch brought by a dove to Noah 's ark signifying that the flood was receding.

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Notes

An olive branch is now regarded as a sign of peace, as is the dove. ( See hawks and doves .)

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51�Թ� History and Origins

Origin of olive branch¹

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English

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Idioms and Phrases

A symbol of peace, an offering of good will, as in They feuded for years, but finally the Hatfields came over bearing an olive branch . This term is alluded to in the Bible (Genesis 8:11), where the dove comes to Noah after the flood with an olive leaf in its mouth. [c. 1600]

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Liberal Democrat peer Lord Scriven called his amendment an "olive branch" after weeks of deadlock with the government.

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Ontario Premier Doug Ford said the "temperature was brought down" this week between the US and Canada thanks largely to an olive branch that was extended by US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.

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After Myers' Musk repeatedly does an off-putting dance, Trump calls the move the billionaire's "least unsettling trait" before extending the olive branch in the form of mutual roasts.

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Zelensky offered the olive branch a day after Trump paused all military aid to the beleaguered US ally.

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Speaking after the band's previous Rock Hall nomination, he said the ceremony could be the "olive branch" the band needed to make amends.

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

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