Sabbath

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English sabat, inherited from Old English sabat,^[2][3][4][5] also borrowed from Old French sabbat,^[2][4] from Latin sabbatum,^{[2][3][4][5][6]} from Ancient Greek σάββατον (sábbaton),^{[2][3][4][5][6]} from Biblical Hebrew שַׁבָּת (šabbāṯ, “rest”),^{[2][3][4][5][6]} from šāḇaṯ “he rested”.^[2][3][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The seventh day of the week, Saturday, kept as a day of rest by the Jews (c. 950).^[7][3][4]

Semantic evolution

Among Christians the day of rest moved from the seventh day to the first, in celebration of the Resurrection.^[4][6] In English Sabbath was applied to Sunday by about 1410–40,^[3][7] and the change was completed among English people generally during the Reformation.^[4] The spelling with -bb- appears about 1280, and that with -th was not widespread until the 16th century.^[3][4] Figuratively the word means any time of rest (1591),^[7] and it was also used for a midnight gathering of witches (1660), now usually sabbat.^[7][6]

Timeline

• c. 950 – Saturday, the Jewish day of rest.^[7][3][4]
• c. 1280 – the spelling with -bb-.^[3]
• c. 1410 – Sunday, the Christian day of rest.^[3]
• 1591 – a time of rest.^[7]
• 1613 – a day of rest in other religions, such as Friday.^[7]
• 1660 – a midnight meeting of witches.^[7]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. The seventh day of the week, Saturday, kept as a day of rest and worship by Jews and some Christians.
2. The first day of the week, Sunday, kept as a day of rest and worship by most Christians.
3. A day of prayer and rest in other religions, such as Friday in Islam.
4. Any time of rest.

Word family

• Sabbathless
• Sabbathlike
• witches' Sabbath

Related words

• sabbat
• sabbatarian
• sabbatarianism
• sabbatical
• sabbatize
• shabbat

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
5. ^ a b c d Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
6. ^ a b c d e Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
7. ^ a b c d e f g h Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press