Post #2987740
2026-04-12 05:17 UTC
Is it the same word for all of them?
@CommonMugwort@social.coop
Replies (1)
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@CommonMugwort@social.coop 2026-04-13 04:16
@clew@ecoevo.social Sort of? The tree and its fruit are both ελιά. The oil is so ubiquitous we often just call it oil (λάδι), but it’s proper name is ελαιόλαδο, and you don’t have to speak Greek to know that’s a compound of plant name+oil. But it’s more complicated than that, because the Ancient Greek word for oil is ἔλαιον, which means”olive oil”. I think it’s the origin of the English word ‘oil’ too. The synonymy is buried, but deep.