In Genesis, the dove brought Noah a freshly plucked olive leaf after leaving the Ark a second time.
Genesis 8:10–11 describes Noah waiting seven days before sending the dove out again. In the evening, the dove returned with the olive leaf, showing that the floodwaters had receded enough for vegetation to emerge or remain accessible. Noah waited another seven days and sent the dove out once more; this time it did not return.
The olive leaf became an enduring symbol of peace, hope, and the restoration of life after catastrophe. The biblical passage itself focuses more directly on the practical sign that the earth was becoming habitable again. A common mix-up is to say that the dove returned with an entire olive branch; Genesis specifically says a freshly plucked olive leaf. Artistic depictions often enlarge that detail into a branch, while later symbolism gives the olive branch a broader cultural meaning.