oligostemonous 
oligostemonous ( "1 i-go-sti-nro-ims). a. [<Gr. 
o/i; "i;, few. -f- nr^m.if, take 11 in si 1 MM- of ' st a men ': 
sec. tlinurn.'] III />'.. same as iili</iiiiilrni<x. 
oligosyllabic (ol'i-rf-ri-lftb'ik), a. [< /i>/.\v/- 
liji(lf) + -ic.] of three or fewer syllables, as a 
word; trisyllable, disyllabic or monosyllabic : 
opposed to polytyttabic. [ K'are.] 
\Wd . . . "I low than four [syllablesi . . . are oligo- 
si/Uatric. Buck's lliuulbouk nf Med. Science*, VIII. 518. 
Oligosyllable (ol'i-Ko-sil'a-bl), . [Cf. Gr. W/- 
jnr,lm, (lie having few syllables, < oXij-oc. 
few, + avlAn/ii/, syllable : see syl/ttbtf.] A word 
of throe or fewer syllables: distinguished from 
itnli/.-ii/lliiMc. [Rare.] 
oligbtbkous (ol-i-got'o-kus), it. [< Gr. o/.i>or, 
few, + rinTf iv, renew, bear.] Haying few at a 
birth : applied in ornithology to birds which lay 
four eggs or fewer. [Little used.] 
oligotrophy (ol-i-got'ro-fi), . [< Or. Wfyor, 
little, + Tftwjii/, nourishment.] Deficiency of 
nutrition. 
oliguria (ol-i-gu'ri-a), H. [NL., < Gr. o/Uyor, few, 
little, + oupov, urine.] Inpatliol., scantiness of 
urine ; diminished secretion of urine. 
olinda(o-liu'da), . [Seedef.] A sort of hunt- 
ing-knife made at Olinda in Brazil. 
olio (6'lio), re. [Formerly also ot/lio, with the 
common mistake of -<> for -a in words adopted 
from Sp. (cf. bastiiiiHlti); for "olid = Sp. olla = 
Pg. ollia (both pron. ol'yii), an earthen pot, a 
dish of meat boiled or stewed, a medley, = OF. 
ollc, ole, < L. olla, a pot : see olla.] 1. A savory 
dish composed of a great variety of ingredients, 
as stewed meat, herbs, etc. 
To make . . . pleasure to rule the table, and all the re- 
gions of thy soul, is to make a man less and lower than an 
offlio, of a cheaper value than a turbot. 
Jar. Taylor. Works <ed. 1835), I. 70S. 
We to the Mulberry Oarden, where Sheres is to treat us 
with a Spanish Olio, by a cook of his acquaintance that is 
there, that was with my Lord in Spain. 
Pepys, Diary, IV. 146. 
2. A mixture ; a medley. 
Ben Jonson, in his "Sejanus"and "Catiline," has given 
us this olio of a play, this unnatural mixture of comedy and 
tragedy. Dryden, Essay on Dram. Pursy. 
3. A miscellany; a collection of various pieces: 
chiefly applied to a musical collection. 
oliphantt (ol'i-fant), . 1. An obsolete form 
of elephant. 2. A hunter's or warrior's horn 
made of ivory: used in the middle ages, more 
frequently as a decorative piece of furniture 
than as a musical instrument. 
oliprancet (ol'i-prans), n. [< ME. olijtraunce, 
oti/praitHce, pride, vanity (?) ; appar. of OF. ori- 
gin, but no evidence appears.] 1. Probably, 
pride; vanity. 
Of rych atyre ys here avaunce, 
Prykyng here hors wyth olypraunce. 
Koo. of Brunne, Handlyng Synne, p. 145. 
Thus in pryde A olipraunce his empyre he haldes, 
In lust <fc in lecherye, & lothelych werkkes. 
Alliterative Poem* (ed. MorrlsX 11. 1349. 
2. Rude, boisterous merriment; a romping- 
match. Holloway. (HalUwell). [Prov. Eng.] 
olisatrum (6-li-sat'rum), . See alexanders, 1. 
olitory (ol'i-to-ri), a. and . [< L. olitoriun, of 
or belonging to a kitchen-gardener, or to vege- 
tables, < olitor, a kitchen-gardener, < olus, kitch- 
en vegetables, pot-herbs: see oleraccous.] I. 
a. Producing or used in growing pot-herbs 
and kitchen vegetables: equivalent to kitclirn- 
or vegetable- in the compounds kitchen-gariti'n, 
tiilili--i/in-ili a. 
4103 
an olive-green color; olive-green Olivaceous 
flycatchers, those members of the Tyraniudcf whose pre- 
niilinf rolnniliim i olivaceous. They are very num. T'>U. 
''-prrially in tii.piral and subtropical America, and gen- 
erally of small size for their family. Those i>f the I nitcd 
st;itrs nrai I v :i!l lirluak' to the genera Cimtojnut anil h'/n/n 
donax. See the cuts under these words, and olive-tyrant. 
olivadert, . [For "oliruter (f), < F. olinii,,. 
OF. iilirnsti-i. olive-colored: see olirnstcr.] Of 
a color approaching that of olive ; olivaster. 
A train of Portuguese ladles. . . . their complexions 
tilivaiier and mtfflciently unagreeable. 
Evelyn, Diary, May 30, 1662. 
olivary (ol'i-va-ri), a. [= P. otivaire, < L. oli- 
rurius, of or belonging to olives, < oliea, olive: 
see olive.] Resembling an olive Olivary body, 
in mint., a ganglion of the oblongata lying on either slue 
just laterad of the pyramid, and forming an oval projection 
on the surface just below the pons. It consists of the 
nucleus ollvaris inferior with a covering and tilling of 
white matter. Also called inferior olivary body, or inferior 
olive, and COTJMM wrmiora/?. Olivary eminence, in anat., 
a small rounded transverse process of the body of the 
sphenoid bone, just in front of the pituitary fossa, in re- 
lation with the optic chiaam. Also called olivary procexx, 
or tuberculum . Olivary fasciculus. Sec fafMu- 
JIM. Olivary peduncle, the whole mass of fibers enter- 
ing the hilum of the olivary body. 
olivastert (ol-i-vas'ter), a. [< OF. olwastre, F. 
olivdtre = Sp. It. olivastro, < L. aliva, olive : see 
olive and -outer, here used adjectively.] Of the 
color of the olive ; dull-green. 
But the countries of the Abyssenes, and Harbary, and 
Peru, where they are tawny and olivaster and pale, are 
generally more sandy and dry. Bacon, Mat. Mist., 399. 
olive (ol'iv), . and . [< ME. olive, olyve, < OF. 
olire, also olie, F. olive = Sp. Pg. It. oliva, < L. 
oliva, an olive, not orig. L. , but derived, with orig. 
digamma, < Gr. tfMta, Attic eAaa, an olive-tree, 
an olive. Cf. Ifauov, olive-oil, oil: see nil.] I. . 
1. The oil-tree, Olea Europtea, cultivated from 
the earliest times in Syria and Palestine, and 
thence in remote antiquity distributed through- 
out the whole Mediterranean region : in recent 
times it has been successfully planted in Aus- 
tralia, southern California, and elsewhere. The 
olive is of low stature (some 40 feet) with rounded top ; 
the trunk and branches are apt to be gnarled and fantas- 
tic, and the leaves are small and lance-shaped, dull-green 
rta 
Now was publish'd my '' French Gardener," the first and 
best of the kind that Introduc'd y use of the OUtoru gar- 
den to any purpose. Keelyn, Diary, Dec. 0, 1668. 
II. .; pi. oliturirx (-riz)- 1. A vegetable or 
other pot-herb of the kinds commonly grown 
in kitchen-gardens. 
Pliny indeede enumerates a world of vulgar plants Hnd 
olitories, but they fall infinitely short of our physic gar- 
dens, books, and nerbals, every day augmented by our srdu 
lous botanists. Evelyn, To Mr. Wotton. 
2. A kitchen-garden. 
None of the productions of the utitory affect finery. 
ll.rr.-i/, Meditations, I. 79. 
oliya (o-li'vft), . [NL..< L. oliea, olive: see 
ulire.] 1. Olive-tree gum. 2. In conch.: (a) 
[cl>.] The typical genus of Olindtv, founded 
byBruguiere in 1789; the olives or olive-shells. 
(/i) PI. (i/irnti (-viix.V Any species of Oliva; an 
olive-shell. See "cut at nlire-xhrll. 3. PI. //> 
(-ve). In nnnt., the olivary body of the brain. 
Olivacea (ol-i-va'se-jj). . /)/. [XL., < (Hint + 
-iif<-a.] A family of" gastropods: same as Oli- 
riilir. 
Olivaceous (ol-i-vn'shius), n. [< NL. 'oliriifi-Hx. 
< L. ulint, olive: see u/i'rr.J In ztiiil. and hot., of 
f / 
I. Branch of the Olive (Olfa 1-Hrofsea), with fruits. 3. Branch 
flowers, a, a flower 
above and silvery beneath ; the general effect is that of an 
old willow. It is an evergreen, of great longevity and pro- 
ductiveness, and thrives in poor and dry calcareous and 
sandy soils. Of the cultivated variety (0. tativa) some 
twenty or thirty subvarieties are recognized. The wild 
variety (0. Oleaster) has short blunt leaves, the branches 
more or less spiny, and a worthless fruit. It is native in 
southern Europe as well as Asia. The olive was ancient- 
ly sacred to Pallas, and its leaves were used for victors' 
wreaths among the flreeks and Romans. (See olive-branch.) 
The value of the olive lies chiefly in the fruit : but its wood 
also is valuable. Olirf-yum or Lecca-yum (oliva) exudes 
from the bark, and was formerly used as a stimulant, while 
the bark itself has served as a tonic. 
2. The fruit of the common olive-tree, a small 
ellipsoid drupe (the "berry"), bluish-black in 
color when fully ripe, it is an important source of 
oil (see olive-oil) and is also largely consumed in the form 
of preserved or pickled olives, consisting of the green- 
colored unripe drupes, first soaked in water containing 
potash and lime to expel bitterness, and then bottled in 
an aromatized salt liquid. 
3. A tree of some other species of Olea, or of 
some other genus resembling the olive. See 
oti-a. and phrases below. 4. The color of the 
unripe olive ; a color composed of yellow, black, 
red, and white in such proportions as to form a 
low-toned dull green, slightly yellow. 5. Same 
as oliva, 1. 6. A perforated plate in the strap 
of a satchel or traveling-bag, through which the 
stud or button passes to fasten it. 7. A long 
oval button over which loops of braid are passed 
Oliver 
as a fastening for cloaks, etc. 8. \nant.,i\ie. 
olivary body of the meiliilhi oblongata. 9. In 
ci /we//., an olive-shell. 10. In oriiitli., the oys- 
ter-catcher, ll<rili<lt<i/nt.i null-ill <IH*. I'. .NHV/I/I- 
xi in. (Kssex, Kii^.] American olive, the devil- 
wood. Bastard or mock Olive, in Australia, NtMoca 
/lyMjrfriwi anil A . f'-n : ti.i''li", tin- latli-r also rullnl I;<,t<ni<i 
Hay iilire. California Olive, tin- I'alifomian iniiniituin- 
laun-l, riiiiutliiiiiria CaHfonuca. Fragrant or sweet- 
scented Olive, Ofinauthut ((Xta)frasjrant.- Holly-leaf- 
ed olive, a tine compact shrub from .l:ip:m. QHPMflMi 
(ttlra] ilii-i/niiii. Queensland olive, Oka imninilata. 
Spurge-Olive, tin mezereon. White Olive. Sei llalle- 
ria. wild olive, (a) The primitive form of the common 
olive (tee def. 1); also, in India, Olea dioica. (t>) One 
of various trees of utbn K ncru: in F.cnope, Rlaaynut 
anfftutffolia, Rtiun Cotiiutx, and Thyinrlcca Sanamunda 
(liaphiv Thymrlira): in the West Indies, Hmitia daphnoi- 
de>, Ximenia Americana, Terminalia Bmxrai, and T. eapi- 
tata ; In India, Pvtranjiva Koxburi/hu. 
II. ". Relating to the olive; of the color of 
the unripe olive; olivaceous; of a dull, some- 
what yellowish green; also, of the color of the 
olive-tree, which in general effect is of a dull 
ashen-green, with distinctly silvery shading, 
oliveback (ol'iv -bak), n. The olive-backed 
thrush, Tnnliin swainsoni. It is widely distributed 
in North America, and is one of the common thrushes of 
the eastern parts of the United States, like the wood- 
thrush, hermit-thrush, and veery. The upper parts are of a 
uniform olivaceous color, the lower are white, tinged with 
tawny and marked with a profusion of blackish spots on 
the breast ; the length is about 7 Inches. This thrush Is 
migratory and insectivorous, and a fine songster ; it nests 
in Dushes, and lays pale greenish-blue eggs spotted with 
rusty-brown. 
olive-backed (ol'iv-bakt), . Having the back 
olivaceous: as, the olive-backed thrush. See 
oliveback. 
olivebark-tree (ol'iv-biirk-tre), n. A West In- 
dian tree, Terminalia Buceran; also, one of other 
species of Terminalia. 
olive-branch (ol'iv-branch), n. 1. A branch 
of the olive-tree, the emblem of peace and 
plenty (in allusion to the "olive leaf pluckt 
off" brought by the dove sent out by Noah). 
Peace, with an olive branch, 
Shall fly with dove-like wings about all .Spain. 
Luxt's Dominion, iv. 4. 
Thy wife shall be as the fruitful vine upon the walls of 
thine house, thy children like the olive branches ["olive- 
plants" in the authorized version) round about thy table. 
Ps. cxxviii. 4, in Book of Common Prayer. 
Hence, in allusion to the last quotation 2. 
pi. Children. [Humorous.] 
May you ne'er meet with Feuds or Babble, 
May Olive Branches crown your Table. 
Prior, The Mice. 
There were hardly "quarters "enough for the bachelors, 
let alone those blessed with wile and otice-branche*, and all 
manner of make-shifts were the result. 
Harper's May., LXXVI. 791. 
olived (pl'ivd), a. [< olive + -crf'A] Decorated 
with olive-trees or -branches. 
Green as of old each oliv'd portal smiles. 
T. Warton, Triumph of Isis. 
olive-green (ol'iv-gren), n. See green 1 . 
oliveness (ol'iv-nes), n. Olive color; the state 
of being olivaceous in color. Cones. 
olivenite (ol'i-ve-mt), . [Adapted from the 
orig. G. olivencrz ('olive-ore'); < G. oliven, gen. 
(in comp.) of olive, olive, + -tte 2 .] An arseni- 
ate of copper, usually of an olive-green color, 
occurring in prismatic crystals, and also in reni- 
fonn, granular, and fibrous crusts. The latter 
forms have sometimes a yellow to brown color. Also 
called olive-ore, and the fibrous kinds wood-copper. 
olive-nut (ol'iv-nut), . The fruit of species 
of EltfocarmiH. 
olive-oil (oViv-oil'), n. A fixed oil expressed 
from the pericarp or pulp of the common olive. 
It is an insipid, inodorous, pale-yellow or greenish-yellow, 
viscid fluid, unctuous to the feel, inflammable, incapable of 
combining with water, and nearly insoluble in alconoL It 
is the lightest of all the fixed oils, and Is of the non-drying 
class. It is very largely used as a food. In countries 
where It is produced it is employed in cookery and serves 
as butter with bread : in England and America its table use 
Is chiefly that of a salad-dressing. In medicine It Is em- 
ployed principally in liniments, ointments, and plasters. 
Inferior grades serve for lubrication, illumination, woolen- 
dressing, and soap-making. For the best oil the fruit 
should be picked just before It is ripe enough to fall, and 
ground at once. The first pressing, without application 
of water or heat, yields n'r^i'n oil. The second pressing, 
after subjecting the marc to the action of boiling water, is 
not quite so good : a third yields the Ulterior pyrene ott. 
Olive-oil Is extensively adulterated with cotton-seed, ara- 
chis, and other oOs. Italy leads in the production and 
export of olive-oil. Also called nreet-oil. 
olive-ore (ol'iv-dr). . Same as nlii'tnitf. 
olive-plum (ol'iv-plum), n. Any tree of the ge- 
nus Eliititlt nilr<i>i. nr its fruit. 
Oliver 1 (ol'i-vor). n. [Appar. from the proper 
name Olirrr, MK. (Hin-i; < F. OHrier.] A forge- 
hammer in \\hieli the hammer is fastened upon 
one end of an arm or handle, the other end of 
which is attached loan axle. The hammer is worked 
