'Zaytoon': Arabic word for olive is a metaphor for both peace and struggle

While one might offer an olive branch to an enemy, it has also become a symbol of resistance and identity for Palestinians

Zaytoon is a fruit, plant and tree that has always been revered in the region for its health benefits

The first two lines of the poem An Alsumud (On Resiliency) by the renowned Palestinian author and poet Mahmoud Darwish reads: “If the olive trees knew the hands that planted them, their oil would become tears.”

It was originally published in his 1964 poetry collection Awraq Alzaytun (Leaves of Olive Trees).

Then in her 1980 poem, Different Ways to Pray, American-Palestinian poet Naomi Shihab Nye also references olives when she writes: “Under the olive trees, they raised their arms – Hear us! We have pain on Earth!”

And powerfully, at the end of his poem On the Trunk of an Olive Tree, politician and poet Tawfiq Ziad writes: “I shall continue to carve all the chapters of my tragedy and all the stages of the disaster from the beginning to end on the olive tree.”

This week’s Arabic word of the week has strong symbolic associations with grief, resistance and longevity. Zaytoon, the Arabic word for olive, has always been associated with the Middle East but has, over the years, become a symbol of Palestine specifically.

In classical Arabic, zaytoon refers to the olive tree and the plural of a single olive – a zaytoona. But in colloquial Arabic, zaytoon can reference one olive along with zaytoona.

The meaning of zaytoon refers to the olive fruit and, sometimes, the olive tree itself, depending on the context of the sentence. It’s both the classical Arabic word and the word used across Arabic dialects to refer to the edible fruit, which belongs to the family of fruits known as drupes, that have a single large seed surrounded by a fleshy outer part.

The meaning of zaytoon also describes the tree that produces pale green leaves and bears a fruit that varies in colour depending on how ripe it is and when it is harvested. While we often assume olives are green, there are also, red, black and yellow olives.

The word zaytoon is derived from the word zayt, which means oil. Zayt zaytoon, translates to olive oil, which is used for cooking in a variety of ways. It’s important to note that the Arabic word for oil that refers to petrol is not called zayt but nafit.

Al zayat, which can be translated to "he who produces oil", refers to the person who squeezes olives to make olive oil and sell it.

The word zayt is derived from the verb zata, which means to drizzle something with oil, to pour oil over something or to present someone with oil. The three letters that make the word zata are, Zay, Alif and Tah, which are the same letters that appear in the word zaytoon.

There are also connections between the word zaytoon to the Aramaic word zetona, which means little olive tree. There is no clear or substantiated linguistic proof that the word zaytoon comes completely from the Aramaic word but the two seem closely connected.

Zaytoon is also used in Turkish, possibly influenced by Arabs during their control over the region in the Ottoman era.

Zaytoon is a fruit, plant and tree that has always been revered in the region for its many health benefits and uses. It is one of the few plants that can withstand harsh conditions and thrive.

Zaytoon is also referred to in the Quran several times, most commonly as proof of the blessings that God has provided man on Earth. The fifth chapter or surah in the Quran called Surat Al Tin (The Fig) begins with God swearing by the fig and the olive, as well as Mount Sinai and the city of Makkah before informing mankind on the creation of humans in the best forms.

The use and trade of olives and olive oil has shaped the Middle East region. The earliest evidence of olive tree harvesting comes from the Chalcolithic period, around 3000 BC, in the archaeological site of Teleilat el Ghassul in modern-day Jordan.

Zaytoon is not only significant to Arabs however, it has a long and rich history in the wider Mediterranean also. In fact, the common idea of presenting someone with a metaphorical olive branch as a symbol of peace dates back to at least the fifth century BC. Ancient Greeks believed that olive branches represented abundance and had the power to drive away evil spirits.

Today, zaytoon, both as a fruit and tree, has become a symbol of political resistance and identity for Palestinians. Olives and olive trees are deeply rooted in Palestinian heritage and the landscape making up a crucial part of the Palestinian economy at one point has been a way of life for generations.

In literature, poetry and art zaytoon has become a metaphor for the Palestinian struggle, emphasising the trees’ deep roots and enduring nature as one connected to that of the Palestinian people to their land and identity.