Sabbatical

American  

[suh-bat-i-kuhl] / səˈbæt ɪ kəl /

Sometimes Sabbatic

adjective

1. of or pertaining or appropriate to the Sabbath.

2. (lowercase) of or relating to a sabbatical year.

3. (lowercase) bringing a period of rest.

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noun

1. (lowercase) sabbatical year.

2. (lowercase) any extended period of leave from one's customary work, especially for rest, to acquire new skills or training, etc.

sabbatical ¹ British  

/ səˈbætɪkəl /

adjective

1. denoting a period of leave granted to university staff, teachers, etc, esp approximately every seventh year

   a sabbatical year

   sabbatical leave

2. denoting a post that renders the holder eligible for such leave

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noun

1. any sabbatical period

Sabbatical ² British  

/ səˈbætɪkəl /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or appropriate to the Sabbath as a day of rest and religious observance

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noun

1. short for sabbatical year

Other Word Forms

• Sabbatically adverb
• Sabbaticalness noun
• non-Sabbatic adjective
• non-Sabbatical adjective
• non-Sabbatically adverb

Etymology

Origin of Sabbatical

First recorded in 1605–15; equivalent to Greek sabbatikós (from sábbat(on) Sabbath + -ikos -ic ) + -al ¹

Explanation

If your job entitles you, you probably take a sabbatical every seven years, which means you get a year of paid leave to do whatever you want to further your understanding of the world. The word sabbatical, which can be a noun or an adjective, comes from the Greek word sabatikos, which means “of the Sabbath,” the day of rest that happens every seventh day. Most teaching jobs come with the promise of a sabbatical, which is a year of not having to teach, though you still get paid. During your sabbatical, you usually are expected to do research and perhaps write a book — in other words, keep working.

Example Sentences

She is among leaders of the Sabbatical Project, which aims to create “a more humane relationship with work” by encouraging extended leaves.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 11, 2024

Portions of the work were supported by a Research Sabbatical grant to Gilmore from Research to Prevent Blindness to explore the origins of antibiotic resistance.

From Science Daily • Feb. 29, 2024

Research by DJ DiDonna, founder of the Sabbatical Project and a senior lecturer at Harvard, found that 80 percent of people who take sabbaticals returned to their company refreshed.

From Washington Post • Feb. 19, 2023

Sabbatical haze, she adds, her explanation these days for everything.

From The New Yorker • Aug. 26, 2019

This severe penalty could not have been inflicted, if the rabbis had not represented that Jews were not permitted to violate the Sabbatical laws in order to relieve a fellow-man.

From Some Jewish Witnesses For Christ by B.D.

Related Words

• furlough
• leave of absence
• recess
• time off