ˈsabəth noun
( -s )
Usage: often attributive
Etymology: Middle English sabath, sabat, from Old French sabat, sabbat & Old English sabat, from Latin sabbatum, from Greek sabbaton, from Hebrew shabbāth, from shābath to rest
1. often capitalized
a.
(1) also sabbath day
[Middle English sabat day, from sabat sabbath + day ]
: the day of rest and solemn assembly observed as sacred to God by Jews and some Christian churches on the seventh day of the week from sunset Friday until sunset Saturday
six days thou shalt labor and do all thy work: but the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God; in it thou shalt not do any work — Deut 5:13-14 (Authorized Version)
(2) : some other Scriptural period (as the sabbatical year) of solemn rest or cessation from usual activity
the tenth day of this seventh month is the day of atonement; it shall be for you … a sabbath of solemn rest — Lev 23:27-32 (Revised Standard Version)
six years shall you sow in your field … but in the seventh year there shall be a sabbath of solemn rest for the land — Lev 25:3-4 (Revised Standard Version)
b. also sabbath day : the day of rest and public worship observed on Sunday by most Christian churches in commemoration of the resurrection of Christ on the first day of the week ; specifically : the Lord's Day observed strictly as a day of solemn rest and devotion continuing the Old Testament Sabbath
c. : the day of the week regularly set aside by some other religion for public observances
although it was Friday, the Moslem Sabbath, people were at work — Francis Ofner
2. often capitalized : a time of rest or repose : a cessation of effort, pain, or care
3. sometimes capitalized : sabbat