Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- adj. Relating to a sabbatical year.
- adj. Relating or appropriate to the Sabbath as the day of rest.
- n. A sabbatical year.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- Sabbatic; characterized by rest or cessation from labor or tillage: as, the sabbatical years (see below).
- Recurring in sevens, or on every seventh (day, month, year, etc.).
- n. A contraction of Sabbatical year.
Wiktionary
- adj. Relating to the Sabbath.
- adj. Relating to a sabbatical.
- n. An extended period of leave, often one year long, taken by an employee in order to carry out projects not otherwise associated with the employee's job. During the sabbatical, the employer may pay some or all of the wages that would have been otherwise earned or some or all of the expenses incurred. University lecturers, for example, may be granted a one-year paid sabbatical once every seven years.
WordNet 3.0
- adj. of or relating to the Sabbath
- adj. of or relating to sabbatical leave
- n. a leave usually taken every seventh year
Etymologies
- From Late Latin sabbaticus, from Greek sabbatikos, from sabbaton, Sabbath; see Sabbath.
Examples
“James Mortimer: I think the term sabbatical has to be taken with a grain of salt.”
“When people hear the word "sabbatical," they invariably think, "Sounds great—but there's no way I can do that.”
“The Republican announced today he will pass on a presidential campaign, because he wants to take what he calls a sabbatical from public life.”
“Still, Beyoncé doesn't expect her sabbatical from the music business to be easy, or even necessarily successful.”
“The earache and overwork made the beginning of this sabbatical from the idiot box a necessity, but now that I have no reason to avoid the output of British television I realize that there is nothing I can be bothered to watch.”
“The ensuing revelations of multiple affairs resulted in the loss of endorsements, a sabbatical from the game, poor play when he returned - and eventually, a divorce from his wife Elin.”
Voice of America: Four Vie at China Tourney to Top World Golf Rankings
“Maybe “allowed” to take another sabbatical is less accurate than “encouraged”.”
You’re A Loudmouth Baby, You Better Shut It Up | ATTACKERMAN
“The sabbatical is an opportunity and a gift and I wish it were one that extended beyond the academic world.”
“Wael Ghonim posted a message Saturday on the social-networking site Twitter announcing he would take a "long-term sabbatical" to form "a technology-focused NGO to help fight poverty & foster education" in Egypt.”
The Wall Street Journal: Egyptian Protest Leader to Take Break From Google, Form Tech NGO
“And Chris Hughes, a co-founder of Facebook, took a sabbatical from the company and came to Chicago to work on the campaign full-time.”
Lists
‘sabbatical’ hasn't been added to any lists yet.
qroqqa Beatrice Beckley has the thankless job of playing Lady Chiltern, one of those frightfully virtuous women of Wilde's who can't utter the simplest observation without dragging in such Sabbatical expressions as "we needs must."
—Dorothy Parker, review of An Ideal Husband, in Vanity Fair, Nov. 1918
This is probably the first time I've seen 'Sabbatical' used in anything close to the original sense of pertaining to the Sabbath. Nov 12, 2008