Etymology
Named for its green and gold undertones (the color of an olive), it refers to an earthy skin tone which can be warm, neutral, cool, or anything in between. Typically olive skin is a darker complexion that is naturally tanned, however can be lighter in color as well. Fair olive-skinned people have light skin that in cold weather may seem "fair" or "pale", but a slight but usually noticeable olive hue remains. This distinguishing aspect of the skin type is what contributes to its name and differentiates it from other skin types.
Read more about this topic: Olive Skin
Famous quotes containing the word etymology:
“Semantically, taste is rich and confusing, its etymology as odd and interesting as that of “style.” But while style—deriving from the stylus or pointed rod which Roman scribes used to make marks on wax tablets—suggests activity, taste is more passive.... Etymologically, the word we use derives from the Old French, meaning touch or feel, a sense that is preserved in the current Italian word for a keyboard, tastiera.”
—Stephen Bayley, British historian, art critic. “Taste: The Story of an Idea,” Taste: The Secret Meaning of Things, Random House (1991)
“The universal principle of etymology in all languages: words are carried over from bodies and from the properties of bodies to express the things of the mind and spirit. The order of ideas must follow the order of things.”
—Giambattista Vico (1688–1744)