sable

sa·ble

noun

pl. -·bles or -·ble

any marten; esp., the stone marten or a darker American species (Martes americana)
1. the costly fur or pelt of the sable
2. [pl.] a coat, neckpiece, etc. made of this
[pl.]Now Rare black mourning clothes
Heraldry the color black: indicated in engraving by crosshatching

Origin of sable

Old French from Medieval Latin sabelum from Middle Dutch sabel from Old High German zobel from Russian sobol'

made of or with the fur of the sable
black or dark brown

Sable

cape at the S tip of Fla.: southernmost point of the U.S. mainland: c. 20 mi (32 km) long
cape at the S tip of Nova Scotia

Origin of Sable

from Fr, sand from Classical Latin sabulum, sand

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"sable." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 18 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/SABLE>.

APA Style

sable. (n.d.). Retrieved January 18th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/SABLE

sable

noun

a. A mustelid mammal (Martes zibellina) of northern Eurasia, having soft dark commercially valuable fur.
b. The pelt or fur of this animal.
c. The similar fur of other species of martens.
a. The color black, especially in heraldry.
b. sables Black garments worn in mourning.
A grayish yellowish brown.
A sablefish.

adjective

Of a grayish yellowish brown.
Of the color black, as in heraldry or mourning.
Dark; somber.
Of the fur of the sable: a sable coat.

Origin of sable

Middle English from Old French sable fur from an Old Low Franconian source akin to Middle High German sabel sable ultimately from a Slavic source such as Old Russian sobolĭ Middle Persian samōr and Parthian simōr

THE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Link/Cite

Link to this page

Cite this page

MLA Style

"sable." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 18 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/SABLE>.

APA Style

sable. (n.d.). Retrieved January 18th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/SABLE

Noun

(countable and uncountable, plural sables)

A small carnivorous mammal of the Old World that resembles a weasel, Mustela zibellina, from cold regions in Eurasia and the North Pacific islands, valued for its dark brown fur .
The marten, especially Mustela americana.
The fur or pelt of the sable or other species of martens; a coat made from this fur.
An artist's brush made from the fur of the sable .
(heraldry) A black colour on a coat of arms.
A black colour, resembling the fur of some sables.
(in the plural, sables) Black garments worn in mourning.

Related terms

zibeline

Adjective

(comparative more sable, superlative most sable)

Of the black colour sable.
(heraldry): In blazon, of the colour black.
Made of sable fur.
Dark, somber.

Anagrams

Origin

Attested since 1275, from Middle English, from Old French sable and martre sable (“sable martin"), in reference to the animal or its fur; from Middle Low German sabel (compare Middle Dutch sabel, Middle High German zobel); ultimately from an Old Slavonic or Baltic word (compare Russian ÑÐ¾Ð±Ð¾Ð»ÑŒ (sobolÊ¹), Polish sobÃ³l, Czech sobol). Compare also Persian samÅr.