It means to offer to make peace with someone after you have been quarrelling - an "olive branch" is any sign or gesture of reconciliation. Say if we had a fight and stopped talking, and I called to say, "Let's meet and talk it over," that might be an olive branch.
The saying coms from the Bible. In the Old Testament (Genesis), after Noah's Ark had been floating in the flood for a long time, they sent a dove to go and look for land; and the dove came back carrying a branch from an olive tree, so they knew they were saved. The branch was taken as a sign that God was no longer angry with the people, which is how the saying came into existence.
Olive branch is a conversational term that refers to an allowance or a token of peace, as well as a symbol of peace. This kind of usage is derived from its origin in Ancient Greece as something symbolising peace and wealth and the olive branch sees much usage in several western cultures and societies to denote the concept of peace.
However, why and how the olive branch began to mean peace continues to be something of intrigue to many. Some concurred that since olive trees take a long period to bear fruit, and since it is not possible during a war, it means peace. Some believe that it may stand for the branch that was reclaimed by the dove to Noah's Ark during the time of flood.
The olive branch symbolizes peace and forgiveness in several cultures around the world. In ancient Greece the olive branch signified peace and prosperity while in the Roman Age an olive branch was offered to seek peace in times of war. There are several hypotheses regarding the origin of the olive branch representing peace.
According to one belief olive trees took a long time to bear fruit and hence could be grown in times of peace only which may have resulted in them being associated with times of harmony and goodwill. Another idea is that after the Great Flood a dove released by Noah returned with an olive branch signifying that land was in sight and that peace was again descending on Earth.
The olive branch was also mentioned in Greek Mythology when Zeus wanted to name the newly created city that came to be later known as Athens; Zeus preferred the gift of the goddess Athena which was an olive plant signifying peace over the Sea God Poseidon's gift which was a horse signifying war. The olive branch is found on the flag of several countries; the seal of the United Nations and the United States depict an olive branch.
An olive branch is a sign of reconciliation or should we say a gesture of compromise. It is believed that the saying "hold out an olive branch comes from the Bible, The Old Testament states that after the great flood which was the result of God's fury, Noah (the sole surviour of the Great Flood) sent out a dove to look for dry land and when the dove returned with a branch from an olive tree, it was understood that they were save and God had given man another chance.
The best way to explain the meaning of the phrase would be to give an example. If there has been some kind of a tiff between two friends and one of them says: "Lets meet up and talk it over", it would mean holding out an olive branch.
Other similar meaning phrases would be 'accept apology', 'bear no malice', 'end a quarrel', 'forget n forgive', 'kiss n makeup', let bygones be bygones and the list can go on.
Olive branch since time immemorial is considered as a symbol or emblem of peace. it is an offering of good will and is generally forwarded as an act that signals a desire to end a feud. It has been in circulation since a dove flew out with an olive branch from the Noah Ark, after the Great Deluge. Thus it is mentioned in the bible. Thus it is a colloquial term for a gesture of peace.
Even before it was mentioned in the bible one can trace the origins of the olive branch and its resemblance of peace to the ancient Greece culture where olive branch was a symbol of peace and prosperity. In ancient Rome defeated party often carried the olive branch to signal their defeat and their intention to end the war and make peace. This symbol has been used and mentioned in several works of art and culture. Despite being a symbol of peace for a long time still the reasons as to why it became the symbol of peace is unknown and remains an unsolved mystery.
To "hold out the olive branch" literally means to do or say something incredible so that you end a difference with someone. An example would be He held out an olive branch to the opposition by releasing 42 political prisoners.
The symbol is a dove flying in the air that holds the olive branch in its beak. It is very well known as a peace dove. Some of the synonyms are accept apology, bear no malice, end a quarrel, forget, forgive, hold out the olive branch, kiss and make up, let bygones be bygones, make a peace contribution, make peace, smoke the peace pipe, wipe slate clean.
The olive branch is usually used for the sign of peace ,it is also the sign for the goddess athena, goddess of war and wisdom, it was a prize in the ancient olympics
The word olive has its origin in Greek. It is taken from the words 'elaiwa or elaia'. Later, it was adapted by Latin as 'oliva'. Then, it was altered by the Middle English. Olive is an evergreen tree also called Olea europaea. It is a Mediterranean tree with fragrant white flowers and edible drupes. Thus, the branch of this tree is called olive branch. This branch of olive tree is considered to be a symbol of peace. Thus, olive branch could also mean 'a token of peace'.
For example: finally, the ongoing negotiations bore an olive branch. The olive branch represents peaceful negotiations. Olive branch is something that is offered to an enemy or opposition to bring peace. It could be synonymous to peace offering.
There is no concrete evidence available that can say for sure that why an olive branch is used as a symbol of peace and as many scholars are there they tend to put forth various theories. Some scholars say that the cultivation of olive is a very long process and it took really very long time to for the tree to bear fruit. It is for this reason its cultivation is almost impossible during the war period and when somebody is offering something that is not possible to be grown during that period and peace is required to gain it, it became a symbol of peace. Some scholars come forward with a different theory and they say that it was this branch that was brought by a dove to the Noah's ark during the flood as a symbol of hope. When it comes to the Greek mythology it was the gift that Zeus provided to the city of Athens as a gift to humanity.
