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A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)

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First published 1983 (DOST Vol. V).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

Olive, Olif(e, n. (a.). Also: olyve, -ywe, olyff, -eiffe, ollive, -eve. [ME. (c 1200) and e.m.E. olive, olyve, olyff (1486), F. olive, L. olīva.]See also Oil-dolive, Oil-doly, for some additional variant spellings.

1. The olive. a. The tree or its branches. b. The fruit. c. Oil of the olive, = Oil-dolive n.a. c1420 Wynt. i. 420.
A brawnche … of greyne olywe [E. olif, W. olife] c1515 Asl. MS. I. 303/9.
Olive c1500-c1512 Dunb. vii. 68.
Olyve 1513 Doug. v. xiii. 24.
Hys awin hed warpit with a snod olyve Ib. vii. iii. 16; etc.
Arrayt of the olyve of Pallas tre 1549 Compl. 57/7.
The oliue, the popil & the osȝer tree c1552 Lynd. Mon. 1485.
Off ane olyve scho brak ane branche c1530-40 Stewart Bann. MS. 219 a/3.
Fragrant olif 1584-9 Maxwall Commonpl. Bk. 5 b.
Tha brynt all his ennemeis cornes, olywes & wynesb. 1500 Halyb. 253.
A kynkyn of olyffis c 1598 Skipper's Acc. (Morton) 13 b.
2 pound of olleues 1598 Household Bks. Jas. VI and Anne 8 Apr. 1698 Marchmont 183.
Ollivesc. 1490 Irland Mir. MS. 239.
And sene the crisme is maid of the oile of the olive & of the balme

d. Attrib. 1460 Hay I. 39/35. Alex. (Taym.) 2031.
He bare till his enseigne ane olyve branch — 1560 Rolland Seven S. 427.
Ane oliue leif — 1591-2 Rob Stene 20.
Blissit bewis Of olive plantis — 1456 Hay I. 39/33.
A branch of ane olyve tree in takenyng of pes c1460 Alex. (Taym.) 13547.
Vthir treis growand nere [which] Was like the olive treis 1513 Doug. viii. iii. 48. 1567 G. Ball. 130.
Thy bairnis all sall to vertew inclyne, As fair oliue treis 1579, 1617 Despauter (1617) 8.
Oleaster, a wilde oliue tree — 1513 Doug. xii. Prol. 165.
Amang the bronys of the olyve twestis

2. adj. Of the (yellowish green) colour of the olive. 1631 Tailor's Acc. Bk. B. 11 b.
Ane dowblet breikis and schanckis of oleiffe claith