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The lowest grade of virgin olive oil: It is not fit for human consumption. It has a natural acidity above 3.3% and may also have an unpleasant taste and aroma.

A type of olive oil marketed as an extra light version of virgin olive oil. The name can be somewhat deceiving because many consumers believe that this type of olive oil is lower in calories than other types of olive oil, which is not true.

A type of olive oil that has been highly processed in order to neutralize defects in the oil. Among the defects are a natural acidity higher than 3.3%, poor flavor, and an unpleasant odor.

Refers to the chemical requirements of the olive oil and not the quality and taste. Olive oil must have an acidity level of 1% or less to be considered extra virgin.

A type of oil that is less expensive and not quite as flavorful as higher grades, making it very suitable as cooking oil for fried foods.

A term that refers to olive oil that is light in flavor: It is not a designation for olive oil that is low in calories.

The oil produced from manual or machine pressing of the fruit (olives) from the olive tree. The flavor and color of the olive oil produced from the same variety of olive may vary significantly from one region to the next as well as from grower to grower, since soils and environment will have an effect on creating different flavors within olives grown in the same area.

A term that refers to large quantities of olive oil shipped to bottlers from various regions of a country or from several different countries.

A commercial sprayer that dispenses a very fine mist of extra-virgin olive oil to coat unheated pans to prepare them for grilling, sautéing, broiling, roasting or baking.

A type of low grade olive oil that must be refined before it can be sold for human consumption. The oil is obtained from the residue that remains after the "first cold pressing." Up to 90% of the oil is obtained from the olives during the first cold pressing, but the remaining 10% is contained within the residue.