Sabbath

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A day of the week set aside for rest and religious worship, traditionally observed on Saturday or Sunday
2. A period of rest and abstinence from work, typically one day per week, that holds religious or spiritual significance in various faith traditions
3. A sacred period of cessation from labor and everyday activities, observed cyclically for spiritual renewal and devotion in religious practice

Etymology: The most striking fact here is how far back the trail runs. The Hebrew "shabbat" was used for the seventh day of rest in the Jewish tradition, and the Greeks borrowed it as "sabbaton", which the Romans took as "sabbatum". Old English then picked it up as "sabat", and Old French as "sabbat", so English received the word through two routes at once. The spelling with a final "th" is a later development. It is attested from the 14th century and became widespread from the 16th, probably shaped by the traditional transliteration of the Hebrew as "shabbāth". Some scholars have proposed a far older source in Sumerian, "sa-bat", meaning "mid-rest", though this link remains uncertain.

Synonyms: holy day, day of rest