Olive (color)

Olive is a dark yellowish-green color, like that of unripe or green olives.

As a color word in the English language, it appears in late Middle English. Shaded toward gray, it becomes olive drab.

Variations

Olivine

Olivine is the typical color of the mineral olivine.

The first recorded use of Olivine as a color name in English was in 1912.

Olive drab

Olive drab is variously described as a "dull olive-green colour" (Oxford English Dictionary); "a shade of greenish-brown" (Webster's New World Dictionary); "a dark gray-green" (MacMillan English dictionary); "a grayish olive to dark olive brown or olive gray (American Heritage Dictionary); or "A dull but fairly strong gray-green color" (Collins English Dictionary). It was widely used as a camouflage color for uniforms and equipment in the armed forces, particularly by the U.S. Army during the Second World War. (see illustrations below).

The first recorded use of olive drab as a color name in English was in 1892.Drab is an older color name, from the middle of the 16th century. It refers to a dull light brown color, the color of cloth made from undyed homespun wool. It took its name from the old French word for cloth, drap.

Olive Green

Olive Green may refer to: