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Sabbath

American  
[sab-uhth] / ˈsæb əθ /

noun

  1. the Sabbath, the seventh day of the week, Saturday, as the day of rest and religious observance among Jews and some Christians.

  2. the Sabbath, the first day of the week, Sunday, observed by most Christians as a day of public worship and often of rest.

  3. any special day of prayer, worship, or rest.

  4. Often sabbath a day or other period of rest or break from certain forms of activity.

    If people gave themselves a weekly sabbath from electronic devices, it would probably cure many ills.

  5. Sometimes sabbath Sabbat.

Sabbath British  
/ ˈsæbəθ /

noun

  1. the seventh day of the week, Saturday, devoted to worship and rest from work in Judaism and in certain Christian Churches

  2. Sunday, observed by Christians as the day of worship and rest from work in commemoration of Christ's Resurrection

  3. (not capital) a period of rest

  4. Also called: sabbat.   witches' Sabbath.  a midnight meeting or secret rendezvous for practitioners of witchcraft, sorcery, or devil worship

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Sabbath Cultural  

  1. The holy day of rest and reflection observed each Saturday among the Jews. This custom fulfills the fourth of the Ten Commandments (“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy”). The Sabbath commemorates the last of the seven days of Creation as described in the Book of Genesis, the day God rested from his labors of creating the heavens and the Earth.

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Christians have traditionally kept Sunday as a weekly day of rest in adaptation of the Jewish observance, and in commemoration of the Resurrection of Jesus. Some denominations, such as the Seventh-Day Adventists, observe Saturday as the Sabbath.

Other Word Forms

  • Sabbathless adjective
  • Sabbathlike adjective

Etymology

Origin of Sabbath

First recorded before 900; Middle English sabat, sabadt, sabath, Old English sabat, from Latin sabbatum, from Greek sábbaton, from Hebrew shabbāth “rest”

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Black Sabbath star Ozzy Osbourne was awarded a posthumous lifetime achievement award, seven months after his death at the age of 76.

From BBC

Last year, Stoke-on-Trent born artist Williams teamed up with Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi for the single Rocket and has previously performed sections of Paranoid at a live performance.

From BBC

The cult star promised covers of metal staples like Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden and Judas Priest, as well as "a few originals forged in the same cosmic fire."

From Barron's

On rare occasions, Sabbath playmates eventually become bride and groom.

From The Wall Street Journal

Since they didn’t work in their fields and gardens on the Sabbath, our neighbors weren’t in a big hurry to go home.

From Literature

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.