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Oliver
Oliver ♂ From a French name, Olivier, recorded as the name of one of Charlemagne's paladins (retainers), the close companion in arms of Roland in the Chanson de Roland. Whereas Roland is headstrong and rash, Oliver is thoughtful and cautious. Ostensibly this name derives from Late Latin olivarius ‘olive tree’ (compare Olive), but Charlemagne's other paladins all bear solidly Germanic names, so it is more probably an altered form of a Germanic name, perhaps distantly connected with Old Norse Óleifr ‘ancestral relic’. It has remained in more or less continuous use since the medieval period, becoming ever more popular since the 1980s.
Pet forms: Ollie, Noll. |
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Cite this article
PATRICK HANKS, KATE HARDCASTLE, and FLAVIA HODGES. "Oliver." A Dictionary of First Names. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. PATRICK HANKS, KATE HARDCASTLE, and FLAVIA HODGES. "Oliver." A Dictionary of First Names. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O41-Oliver.html PATRICK HANKS, KATE HARDCASTLE, and FLAVIA HODGES. "Oliver." A Dictionary of First Names. 2006. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O41-Oliver.html |
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Oliver
Oliver, in the Charlemagne cycle of legends, one of Charlemagne's Paladins. He is the close friend of Roland, with whom he has a prolonged and undecided single combat (the origin of their comradeship). At the battle of Roncesvalles he urged Roland to summon help by sounding his horn, but Roland postpones doing so till too late.
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MARGARET DRABBLE and JENNY STRINGER. "Oliver." The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. MARGARET DRABBLE and JENNY STRINGER. "Oliver." The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O54-Oliver.html MARGARET DRABBLE and JENNY STRINGER. "Oliver." The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature. 2003. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O54-Oliver.html |
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Oliver
Oliver the companion of Roland in the Chanson de Roland and one of the paladins, who at Roncesvalles finally persuades his friend to summon Charlemagne to their aid by blowing the ivory horn Olivant.
See also Roland for an Oliver. |
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Cite this article
ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Oliver." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Oliver." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-Oliver.html ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Oliver." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-Oliver.html |
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Oliver
Oliver •aquiver, downriver, forgiver, giver, quiver, river, shiver, sliver, upriver
•silver • mitzvah • lawgiver • Oliver
•miniver, Nineveh
•quicksilver
•conniver, contriver, diver, driver, fiver, Godiva, Ivor, jiver, Liver, reviver, saliva, skiver, striver, survivor, viva
•skydiver • slave-driver • piledriver
•screwdriver
•bovver, hover
•Moskva
•revolver, solver
•windhover
•Canova, Casanova, clover, Dover, drover, Grsbover, Jehovah, left-over, Markova, Moldova, moreover, Navrátilová, nova, ova, over, Pavlova, rover, trover, up-and-over
•layover • flyover • handover
•changeover
•makeover, takeover
•walkover • spillover • pullover
•Hanover • turnover • hangover
•wingover • sleepover • slipover
•popover, stopover
•Passover • crossover • once-over
•pushover • leftover
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Cite this article
"Oliver." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Oliver." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-Oliver.html "Oliver." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-Oliver.html |
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