1The branch of an olive tree, traditionally regarded as a symbol of peace (in allusion to the story of Noah in Gen. 8:1, in which a dove returns with an olive branch after the Flood).
- He returned with an olive branch under the 1993 Oslo peace accords.
- Peace is the only answer, the dove, the olive branch, the white flag, all of it.
- Princes of Canaan, I bear you high to the mountains of the Lord and grant you the fragrant olive branch as a symbol of hope and peace.
1.1An offer of reconciliation: the government is holding out an olive branch to the demonstrators
More example sentences
- He told them the party had offered an olive branch and reconciliation to Lucky after she introduced professional and personal integrity at their caucus.
- By electing a senior Islamic cleric, the cardinals could avoid exacerbating the split in the divided Catholic church, while simultaneously holding out an olive branch to another great world religion.
- A rawdon school seeking to move to a new site is holding out an olive branch to those who fiercely opposed the move.
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Syllabification: ol·ive branch
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