What does sabbath mean?
A Sabbath is a day, especially a recurring weekly day, set aside for religious rest, worship, and the suspension of ordinary work. The term is most strongly associated with Judaism, where the Sabbath runs from sunset on Friday until sunset on Saturday. Christian communities have also used Sabbath for Sunday, particularly in North America, while Islamic tradition observes the corresponding weekly rest on Friday. In ordinary English, Sabbath often suggests solemn observance, reflection, and time freed from routine labor. It can refer either to the day itself or more broadly to the practice and institution of keeping a weekly day of rest. Though historically its observance could involve strict rules about work and daily activity, contemporary usage varies widely and may be descriptive rather than prescriptive. The word is more formal and culturally specific than simply saying Sunday or day of rest, making it especially useful when discussing religious tradition or the history of weekly rest.
nounA day or period set aside for religious rest and observance, especially the weekly day of rest observed by Jews and, in some Christian traditions, Sundays. In Islam, the Sabbath is traditionally observed on Friday.
- A day set apart for religious worship, rest, and the avoidance of ordinary work.
- The institution or observance of a weekly day of religious rest.
"The family gathered on the Sabbath to study the scriptures and share a quiet meal."
"On the Sabbath, the village sounded unusually quiet."
"Many observant Jews keep the Sabbath from sunset on Friday until sunset on Saturday."
The plural is used for successive observances or for Sabbath days in different weeks.
"The community maintained its custom across many Sabbaths and religious seasons."
The word Sabbath comes from Hebrew shabbat, meaning “cessation” or “rest,” and its history preserves the idea of deliberately interrupting the ordinary workweek.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does sabbath come from?
English Sabbath comes through Latin and Greek from Hebrew shabbat, a term associated with the biblical day of rest and understood as meaning cessation or rest. The Latin form sabbatum helped establish the word in Christian Europe, where it came to refer especially to Sunday. Related forms such as Sabbat, Sabbatic, and sabbatical preserve the same Hebrew root, while Spanish sábado reflects the corresponding Latin development.
How sabbath is actually used
In modern English, Sabbath most often refers to the Jewish religious day of rest or, especially in North America, to Sunday as a day of Christian worship. It is generally more formal than the everyday expressions Sunday or day of rest, and its use often carries a sense of religious observance or abstinence from work.
Easily confused with sabbath
Sabbat is an older term for the Jewish Sabbath and is also used in some Christian contexts, while Sabbath is the more common modern English word.