Sabbatical

[ suh-bat-i-kuhl ]

adjective

1. of or pertaining or appropriate to the Sabbath.
2. (lowercase) of or relating to a sabbatical year.
3. (lowercase) bringing a period of rest.

noun

1. (lowercase) sabbatical year.
2. (lowercase) any extended period of leave from one's customary work, especially for rest, to acquire new skills or training, etc.

sabbatical

¹

/ səˈbætɪkəl /

adjective

1. denoting a period of leave granted to university staff, teachers, etc, esp approximately every seventh year

   a sabbatical year

   sabbatical leave

2. denoting a post that renders the holder eligible for such leave

noun

1. any sabbatical period

Sabbatical

²

/ səˈbætɪkəl /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or appropriate to the Sabbath as a day of rest and religious observance

noun

1. short for sabbatical year

Other Word Forms

• Sab·bati·cal·ly adverb
• Sab·bati·cal·ness noun
• non-Sab·batic adjective noun
• non-Sab·bati·cal adjective noun
• non-Sab·bati·cal·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of Sabbatical¹

First recorded in 1605–15; equivalent to Greek sabbatikós (from sábbat(on) Sabbath + -ikos -ic ) + -al ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of Sabbatical¹

C16: from Greek sabbatikos; see Sabbath

Example Sentences

Ioane is contracted to the Blues in New Zealand until 2027 but will take a "sabbatical" to join the Irish province on a seven-month contract after the November internationals.

From BBC

A year before her death, she told People magazine: "It's the longest sabbatical I ever took but it was for really important reasons - to get in touch with my family again."

From BBC

She is currently on a sabbatical, but there is no suggestion she wants to return to the far less secure world of tennis coaching on a permanent basis.

From BBC

In August, Vaccaro took a sabbatical from the University of Kansas to curate the exhibition “Scientia Sexualis” at the Institute for Contemporary Art, Los Angeles.

From Los Angeles Times

The 46-year-old had taken a sabbatical from the force and took up the role in DR Congo because of the lucrative salary offer.

From BBC

Related Words

• furlough
• leave of absence
• recess
• time off