Sabbatical

[ suh-bat-i-kuhl ]

/ səˈbæt ɪ kəl /

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adjective

of or pertaining or appropriate to the Sabbath.

(lowercase) of or relating to a sabbatical year.

(lowercase) bringing a period of rest.

noun

(lowercase) sabbatical year.

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

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Sometimes Sab·bat·ic .

Origin of Sabbatical

1605–15; <Greek sabbatikós (sábbat(on) Sabbath + -ikos-ic) + -al¹

OTHER WORDS FROM Sabbatical

Sab·bat·i·cal·ly, adverbSab·bat·i·cal·ness, nounnon-Sab·bat·ic, adjective, nounnon-Sab·bat·i·cal, adjective, noun

non-Sab·bat·i·cal·ly, adverb

Words nearby Sabbatical

sabayon, Sabbat, Sabbatarian, Sabbath, Sabbath school, Sabbatical, sabbatical year, Sabbatize, SABC, Sabean, Sabellian

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

How to use Sabbatical in a sentence

I was also teaching my courses at UC-Berkeley much of that time, though I had time off in the summers and through a sabbatical.
How Richard Pryor Beat Bill Cosby and Transformed America|David Yaffe, Scott Saul|December 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
After a four-year sabbatical, today LeBron James decided to go back home.
LeBron James: The Yoko Ono of The Heatles|Robert Silverman|July 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The key to a truly disconnected holiday is to take an email sabbatical, says Danah Boyd, senior researcher at Microsoft.
Seven Things to Do on National Day of Unplugging|Sam Schlinkert|March 1, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Her recent medical episode underscores her need for a sabbatical.
Hillary Clinton 2016? Women Look Ahead To ‘History In the Making’|Paul Alexander|January 16, 2013|DAILY BEAST

However, the rigor of the Jewish Sabbatical laws was by no means followed.
Speeches, Addresses, and Occasional Sermons, Volume 2 (of 3)|Theodore Parker
There are not less spirits drank on amount of a sabbatical gloom; for harmless chearfulness is rather a preservative of innocence.
Letter To Sir Samuel Shepherd|Anonymous
A sabbatical calm results from the contemplation of his labours.
Res Judicat|Augustine Birrell
Mrs. Morran all forenoon was in a state of un-Sabbatical disquiet.
Huntingtower|John Buchan
The seventh is the Sabbatical year, when bondsmen were to be released and debts go free.
Bible Studies|Joseph M. Wheeler

British Dictionary definitions for Sabbatical (1 of 2)

sabbatical

/ (səˈbætɪkəl) /

adjective

denoting a period of leave granted to university staff, teachers, etc, esp approximately every seventh yeara sabbatical year; sabbatical leave

denoting a post that renders the holder eligible for such leave

noun

any sabbatical period

Word Origin for sabbatical

C16: from Greek sabbatikos; see Sabbath

British Dictionary definitions for Sabbatical (2 of 2)

Sabbatical

/ (səˈbætɪkəl) /

adjective Also: Sabbatic

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

noun

short for sabbatical year

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