Olive Branch

Olive branch

The olive branch, a ramus of Olea europaea, is a symbol of peace. It is generally associated with the customs of ancient Greece and ancient Rome, and is connected with supplication to divine beings and persons in power. Likewise, it is found in most cultures of the Mediterranean Basin and thence expanded to become an almost universally recognized peace symbol in the modern world.

Olive Branch (1818 ship)

Olive Branch was launched in 1818 at Cowes. She was one of several vessels that a gale wrecked at the Cape of Good Hope, on 21 July 1822. She returned to service and on some or more of her voyages to the Cape she sailed to Mauritius under a licence from the British East India Company (EIC). She burnt in November 1843 while sailing between Quebec and London.

Olive

The cultivated olive is a subspecies of subtropical evergreen tree in the family Oleaceae. Modern cultivars are traced primarily to the Near East, Aegean Sea, and Strait of Gibraltar. Olea europaea is the type species for its genus, Olea, which lends its name to the Oleaceae plant family. The olive fruit is classed botanically as a drupe, similar in structure and function to the cherry or peach. The term oil was originally synonymous with olive oil.

Branch

A branch, also called a ramus in botany, is a stem that grows off from another stem, or when structures like veins in leaves are divided into smaller veins.

olive branch

Noun

1. A branch of an olive tree offered as an emblem of peace.
2. Any symbol of peace, or a peace offering to an adversary to show goodwill and in the hope of securing peace.

Verb

1. Alternative form of olive-branch.