Meaning: To extend the olive branch is to take steps towards achieving peace with an enemy (or simply someone with whom you have had a disagreement).Origin: This expression has biblical origins, and was seen as an emblem of peace. In Genesis, a dove brings an olive branch to Noah to indicate that God's anger had died down and the flood waters had abated.该短语源自圣经，橄榄枝被视为和平的象征。在《圣经 创世记》中，因为人在地上堕落败坏、罪恶满盈，上帝降雨四十昼夜，用大洪水将“人和走兽，并昆虫、以及空中的飞鸟，从地上除灭”，唯有在方舟中的挪亚一家、按上帝指示存留的畜类、飞禽、昆虫等得以保全存留。大雨过后，当放飞的鸽子带回橄榄枝给挪亚，表明上帝的怒气已经平息，洪水也退去了。