Sable

//ˈseɪbəl// adj, name, noun

Definitions

Adjective
  1. 1
    Sable-coloured, black.

    "When I behold the violet past prime, And sable curls all silver'd o'er with white"

  2. 2
    In blazon, of the colour black.
  3. 3
    Made of sable fur.
  4. 4
    Dark, somber.

    "She turned and waved a hand to him, she cried a word, but he didn't hear it, it was a lost word. A sable wraith she was in the parkland, fading away into the dolorous crypt of winter."

  5. 5
    Dark-skinned; Black. archaic, literary

    "Some of the sable females, who formerly stood aloof, now began to relax and appear less coy; but my heart was still fixed on London, where I hoped to be ere long."

Adjective
  1. 1
    of a dark somewhat brownish black wordnet
Proper Noun
  1. 1
    A surname.
Noun
  1. 1
    A small carnivorous mammal of the Old World that resembles a weasel, Martes zibellina, from cold regions in Eurasia and the North Pacific islands, valued for its dark brown fur. countable
  2. 2
    marten of northern Asian forests having luxuriant dark brown fur wordnet
  3. 3
    Any other marten, especially Martes americana (syn. Mustela americana). countable
  4. 4
    a scarf (or trimming) made of sable wordnet
  5. 5
    A pelt of fur of a sable or of one of another species of martens; a coat made from this fur. countable, uncountable

    "Lovers dallied upon divans spread with sables."

Show 8 more definitions
  1. 6
    an artist's brush made of sable hairs wordnet
  2. 7
    An artist's brush made from the fur of the sable, the kolinsky sable-hair brush. countable
  3. 8
    a very dark black wordnet
  4. 9
    A black colour on a coat of arms. countable, uncountable
  5. 10
    the expensive dark brown fur of the marten wordnet
  6. 11
    A dark brown colour, resembling the fur of some sables. countable, uncountable
  7. 12
    Black garments, especially worn in mourning. countable, in-plural, uncountable

    "I ſee its Sables wove by Deſtiny."

  8. 13
    The sablefish. countable, uncountable

Etymology

Etymology 1

Attested since 1275, from Middle English sable, from Old French sable and martre sable (“sable marten”), in reference to the animal or its fur; from Medieval Latin sabelum, from Middle Low German sabel (compare Middle Dutch sabel, Middle High German zobel); ultimately from a Slavic word (compare Russian со́боль (sóbolʹ), Polish soból, Czech sobol). Compare also Middle Persian smwl (*samōr).

Etymology 2

Attested since 1275, from Middle English sable, from Old French sable and martre sable (“sable marten”), in reference to the animal or its fur; from Medieval Latin sabelum, from Middle Low German sabel (compare Middle Dutch sabel, Middle High German zobel); ultimately from a Slavic word (compare Russian со́боль (sóbolʹ), Polish soból, Czech sobol). Compare also Middle Persian smwl (*samōr).

Next best steps

Mini challenge

Unscramble this word: sable