black olive
5
1.4
- noun
- /blæk ˈɑːlɪv/
:
aceituna negra
- Layer the lamb with half the spinach, then the goat cheese, black olives, and sun-dried tomatoes.
- chopped black olives
- pitted black olives
- sliced black olives
Supreme Supreme sausage, pepperoni, black olives and onions.
- Supreme Supreme sausage, pepperoni, black olives and onions.
Examples
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You could also add black olives, fresh cherry tomatoes, diced red peppers—this sauce can take it.
Blog text (34) -
Nathan walked from the bowl of black olives to the bowl of green olives, to the tray of cheese and crackers, and to the bowls of baby corn and tiny gherkins, thinking his thoughts and taking a sample at each stop.
Fiction book (1999) -
I used to bring him the small black olives that he loved.
Fiction book (1999) -
The traditional supreme pizza with black olives could possibly be the best.
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Colby started putting black olives onto the ends of his fingers.
Fiction book (2002) -
On the pizza were black olives for Lindsay, pepperoni slices for Garth, and plain cheese and tomato for Mama.
Fiction book (1995) -
I get a vegan pizza with a hummus base, topped with fresh basil, black olives, Roma tomatoes, and mushrooms... yum!
Blog text (31) -
Chef Andrade's "Chicken Marrakesh" dish from his summer menu is North African inspired with black olives, dried apricots, figs, and a sauce combining olive oil and brown sugar.
Blog text (12) -
The traditional supreme pizza with black olives could possibly be the best.
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Add thinly sliced red bell peppers, chopped black olives, drained garbanzos, chopped red onion, and tiny cherry tomatoes.
Synonyms
1
2.1
An olive picked when fully ripe and kept for eating
How Ripe
5
1.4
2
2.1
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: 'black' is a color adjective applied to the noun 'olive', so it denotes an olive that is dark in color (often ripe or preserved). This adjective+noun pattern is a basic, cross-linguistically common construction, so a B1 learner who knows both words will readily infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
Black olive comes from the simple picture of an olive that turns black as it becomes 'ripe' and is kept in salt water or oil. Because these dark olives taste richer and are the ones people put in salads and cooking, the name now means 'a ripe, preserved olive'.