sable

[ sey-buhl ]
See synonyms for sable on Thesaurus.com
noun,plural sa·bles, (especially collectively for 1, 2) sa·ble.
  1. an Old World weasellike mammal, Mustela zibellina, of cold regions in Eurasia and the North Pacific Islands, valued for its dark brown fur.

  2. a marten, especially Mustela americana.

  1. the fur of the sable.

  2. the color black, often being one of the heraldic colors.

  3. sables, mourning garments.

adjective
  1. of the heraldic color sable.

  2. made of the fur or hair of the sable.

  1. very dark; black.

Origin of sable

1
First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English sable, saibel, sabil(le) “a sable, pelt of a sable; (the color) black,” from Old French sable, saibile “a sable, sable fur” (Medieval Latin sabel(l)um “sable fur”), from Middle Low German sabel (compare late Old High German zobel ), from Slavic or Baltic; compare Russian sóbol', Polish soból, Czech sobol, Lithuanian sàbalas; further origin uncertain

Words Nearby sable

Other definitions for Sable (2 of 2)

Sable
[ sey-buhl ]

noun
  1. Cape Sable,

    • a cape on a small island at the southwestern tip of Nova Scotia, Canada: known for its lighthouse.

    • a cape at the southern tip of Florida.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use sable in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for sable (1 of 2)

sable

/ (ˈseɪbəl) /


nounplural -bles or -ble
  1. a marten, Martes zibellina, of N Asian forests, with dark brown luxuriant fur: Related adjective: zibeline

    • the highly valued fur of this animal

    • (as modifier): a sable coat

  1. American sable the brown, slightly less valuable fur of the American marten, Martes americana

  2. the colour of sable fur: a dark brown to yellowish-brown colour

adjective
  1. of the colour of sable fur

  2. black; dark; gloomy

  1. (usually postpositive) heraldry of the colour black

Origin of sable

1
C15: from Old French, from Old High German zobel, of Slavic origin; related to Russian sobol', Polish sobol

British Dictionary definitions for Sable (2 of 2)

Sable

/ (ˈseɪbəl) /


nounCape Sable
  1. a cape at the S tip of Florida: the southernmost point of continental US

  2. the southernmost point of Nova Scotia, Canada

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012