sabato Italian · revision 38847

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=13th century, Diatessaron|origins=hbo שַׁבָּת}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /ˈsa.ba.to/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''sabato''' ''m'' (plural sabati)^(Wiktionary)

+ The older and central Italian form is ''sabbato'', and old dialect forms include ''saba'', ''sàbado'', ''sàbao'' and ''sabo''.^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Zingarelli 2010)^(GDLI)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|la|sabbatum]], from [[grc|σάββατον|tr=sábbaton]], from [[hbo|שַׁבָּת|tr=šabbāṯ|t=cessation (from work), rest]].^(DELI 1999)^(Nocentini 2010)^(GRADIT 2003)^(Wiktionary) Nocentini and GRADIT add that the Greek singular was taken from the plural [[m|grc|σάββατα|tr=sábbata]], which came from [[arc|שַׁבְּתָא|tr=šabbəṯāʾ]], equivalent to the Hebrew word.^(Nocentini 2010)^(GRADIT 2003)

+

+ The word is pan-Romance: [[es|sábado]], [[pt|sábado]], [[sc|sapadu]] and [[dlm|sabata]].^(Nocentini 2010)^(REW 1935) A Late Latin variant with ⟨m⟩, [[la-lat|sambatum]], gave [[ro|sâmbătă]] and [[rm|samda]];^(REW 1935)^(DEI|3301)^(Nocentini 2010) [[fr|samedi]] and [[ca|dissabte]] are compounds with [[la|diēs|t=day]].^(REW 1935)^(DEI|3301)^(Nocentini 2010) The form with ⟨m⟩ is also the source of [[goh|sambaztag]], modern [[de|Samstag]].^(DEI|3301)^(REW 1935)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ The first record is in the Tuscan Diatessaron of the 13th century, where Jesus asks whether it is lawful to heal on the Sabbath (''È lizito a curare de sabato?'').^(DELI 1999)^(GDLI) In the Gospel context the word is the Jewish day of rest.^(GDLI)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ From the start the word was both the Jewish Sabbath, the seventh day consecrated to God, and the sixth day of the civil week, between Friday and Sunday.^(GDLI)^(Tommaseo–Bellini 1861) Tommaseo records that in Florence the Hebrew form ''sciabà'' was used for a holiday.^(Tommaseo–Bellini 1861)

+

+ Because workers were paid on Saturday evening, the proverb ''Dio non paga il sabato'', “God does not pay on Saturday”, says that divine justice comes even if it is late.^(Zingarelli 2010)^(Treccani 2011) The ''sabato inglese'', the free Saturday afternoon on the English model, was introduced in Italy in the 1930s and renamed ''sabato fascista'' under the regime from 1935.^(Gabrielli 2020)^(Devoto–Oli 2026) In journalism ''sabato sera'' became a symbol of youthful excess after the film ''Saturday Night Fever'' (1977).^(Devoto–Oli 2026) The learned ''sabbatico'' came through French ''sabbatique'', and ''anno sabbatico'' took on the sense of a year off from university teaching in 1950.^(DELI 1999)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 13th century – The Tuscan Diatessaron uses ''sabato'' for the Sabbath.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1282 – Zingarelli's date for the word.^(Zingarelli 2010)

+ * Before 1342 – GRADIT's date for the word.^(GRADIT 2003)

+ * Early 18th century – The adjective ''sabatino'' is recorded.^(Nocentini 2010)

+ * 1745 – ''Anno sabbatico'' is recorded for the Jewish fallow year.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1935 – The ''sabato inglese'' is renamed ''sabato fascista''.^(Devoto–Oli 2026)

+ * 1950 – ''Anno sabbatico'' is used for a year free of university teaching.^(DELI 1999)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Noun===

+ # [[m|en|Saturday]], the sixth day of the civil week and the seventh of the liturgical week, after [[venerdì]] and before [[domenica]]: ''Ci vediamo sabato mattina.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+ # The Jewish [[m|en|sabbath]], the last day of the week, consecrated to rest.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Zingarelli 2010)^(Treccani 2011)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[sabbatico]]

+ * [[sabatino]]

+ * [[sabatizzare]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[la|sabbatum]]

+ * [[en|sabbath]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ Without an article ''sabato'' means the coming or the last Saturday, and with the article (''il sabato'') every Saturday.^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026) Named Saturdays include ''sabato santo'', the day before Easter, ''sabato grasso'', the last Saturday of Carnival, and ''sabato di passione'', the day before Palm Sunday.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Zingarelli 2010)^(Devoto–Oli 2026) The ironic ''sabato che viene!'' means “never”.^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Treccani 2011)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}