Greek word · G65

ἀγριέλαιος

agrielaios

wild olive tree

The wild olive or oleaster (Olea europaea var. sylvestris): a shrubby, thorny form of the olive that grows uncultivated across the Mediterranean, with small fruit and little oil. As an adjective it means "of wild olive." Here it is a noun used as a description: "(being) a wild olive."

Appears 2 times in 2 verses of the Greek New Testament. · Updated October 23, 2026

What it means

ἀγρι-έλαιος, -ον

1. of the wild olive (Anth.).

2. As subst., the wild olive: Romans 11:17, 24 (CGT, in 1.; MM, VGT, see word).

† (AS)

From G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament (1922), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Romans 11:17

Range of meaning: The wild olive or oleaster (Olea europaea var. sylvestris): a shrubby, thorny form of the olive that grows uncultivated across the Mediterranean, with small fruit and little oil. As an adjective it means "of wild olive." Here it is a noun used as a description: "(being) a wild olive."
Against the English: KJV/YLT "a wild olive tree" is literal. BSB/NIV/ESV say "wild olive shoot," which suits a grafted branch but adds "shoot," a word not in the Greek. "Wild" is a botanical term here. It does not mean "untamed" or "wicked." It means uncultivated and unproductive.
Used elsewhere in the period: Greek agricultural and natural-history writing uses it for the oleaster. Ancient writers commonly contrast the wild olive with the cultivated elaia as worthless against valuable. The oleaster's wood and leaves had uses (Olympic victors' crowns were wild olive), but not its fruit.

Where it appears

Romans · 2

Romans 11:17 ἀγριέλαιος a wild olive tree

Now if some branches have been broken off, and you, a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others to share in the nourishment of the olive root,

Here: The uncultivated olive, a scrubby tree with small, hard fruit that yields little oil. Here it describes the reader's origin: you came from wild, unproductive stock that was no part of the cultivated tree.
Romans 11:24 ἀγριελαίου a wild olive tree

For if you were cut from a wild olive tree, and contrary to nature were grafted into one that is cultivated, how much more readily will these, the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree!

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.