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.

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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

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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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Discover More

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

That made it something of a shock to hear the gnarled aggression of Black Sabbath, Tool, Metallica and other blazing rock anthems close out episodes of Noah Hawley’s blockbuster TV adaptation.

From Salon

Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi said a raffle to win one of his guitars raised £50,000 for a hospital appeal.

From BBC

Born and raised in Aston, Ozzy achieved global stardom and success as a musician, both as the lead vocalist of pioneering heavy metal band Black Sabbath and in his later solo career.

From BBC

He died in July, aged 76, just 17 days after Sabbath's Back to the Beginning farewell show.

From BBC

Inspired by Pink Floyd’s “The Wall,” Sonic Youth’s distortion, Black Sabbath’s symbolic lyricism and layered instrumentals, and surrealist artwork, “Mellon Collie” tested the Smashing Pumpkins’ limits as a band.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• day off
• rest day