In the Genesis account of Noah's Ark, the dove returned with an olive leaf after its second release.
Genesis 8:10–11 says Noah waited seven days and sent the dove out again. It returned toward evening with a freshly plucked olive leaf in its beak, showing Noah that the waters had receded from the earth. Noah waited another seven days and released it once more; the dove did not return.
The olive leaf became one of the best-known symbols associated with peace, hope, and the end of danger. In the biblical narrative, however, its immediate function is practical: it is evidence that vegetation and habitable land are reappearing.
The text specifies an olive leaf, not an olive branch. Artistic depictions commonly show a branch, which conveys the same general symbol but is less exact than the wording of Genesis.