sabbatical

1 of 2

adjective

sab·​bat·​i·​cal sə-ˈba-ti-kəl 

variants or less commonly sabbatic

sə-ˈba-tik 

1

: of or relating to a sabbatical year

2

: of or relating to the sabbath

sabbatical laws

sabbatical

2 of 2

noun

1

: sabbatical year sense 2

2

: leave sense 1b

3

: a break or change from a normal routine (as of employment)

Did you know?

The History of Sabbatical and Sabbath: Take a Break

We tend to think of sabbatical in academic terms, as a school year free from teaching duties that can be devoted to research, travel, and writing. Traditionally, this occurs every seventh year. Because of this scholarly context, we may easily miss what is hiding in plain sight: that sabbatical is related to Sabbath, which refers to the Biblical day of rest, or the seventh day. We trace the origins of both sabbatical and Sabbath to the Greek word sabbaton. Sabbaton itself traces to the Hebrew word shabbāth, meaning “rest.”

The Old Testament refers to God’s “day of rest” most famously in Genesis, but Sabbath referring to an entire year of rest is mentioned in Leviticus (25:3-5):

Six years thou shalt sow thy field, and six years thou shalt prune thy vineyard, and gather in the fruit thereof;

But in the seventh year shall be a sabbath of rest unto the land, a sabbath for the LORD: thou shalt neither sow thy field, nor prune thy vineyard.

That which groweth of its own accord of thy harvest thou shalt not reap, neither gather the grapes of thy vine undressed: for it is a year of rest unto the land.

Sabbatical is also used as an adjective to refer specifically to the rules governing the observance of the Sabbath, as in “sabbatical laws.”

Examples of sabbatical in a Sentence

Noun

Several professors will be taking sabbaticals this year.

She recently returned to work after a two-year sabbatical from her acting career.

Several professors will be on sabbatical this year.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

According to Contiki, a travel company catering to those ages 18-35, nearly 60% of respondents to their Voice of a Generation survey had booked a trip due to a gap between jobs, or decided to take a sabbatical or quit their jobs entirely to travel. —Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 12 June 2024

While on sabbatical in 2022, Fabrizi conducted eight months of research with the help of student assistant Eva Glaser, a junior at Eastern from Sturbridge, Mass., who focused on the biographical research on authors of horror tales. —Pamela Brown, Hartford Courant, 29 Jan. 2024

Noun

Julio Frenk stepped down as president of the University of Miami on Wednesday to go on a six-month sabbatical before joining the University of California, Los Angeles in January. —Jimena Tavel, Miami Herald, 12 June 2024

While professionals built much of the main structure, Aleksi took a three-and-a-half-month sabbatical to create the jetty, low-impact walkways, and many sea-view seating areas, as well as using his self taught carpentry skills on the cozy interiors, with picture windows at either end. —Toby Skinner, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 June 2023

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Late Latin sabbaticus, from Greek sabbatikos, from sabbaton

First Known Use

Adjective

1599, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1903, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing sabbatical

• sabbatical year

Kids Definition

sabbatical

adjective

sab·​bat·​i·​cal

sə-ˈbat-i-kəl

variants or sabbatic

-ˈbat-ik

1

: of or relating to the Sabbath

sabbatical laws

2

: of or relating to a leave granted usually every seventh year (as to a professor) for rest, travel, or research