sable

¹

[ sey-buhl ]

noun

, plural sa·bles, 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.
3. the fur of the sable.
4. the color black, often being one of the heraldic colors.
5. sables, mourning garments.

adjective

1. of the heraldic color sable.
2. made of the fur or hair of the sable.
3. very dark; black.

Sable

²

[ sey-buhl ]

noun

1. Cape Sable,
   1. a cape on a small island at the southwestern tip of Nova Scotia, Canada: known for its lighthouse.
   2. a cape at the southern tip of Florida.

Sable

¹

/ ˈseɪbəl /

noun

1. a cape at the S tip of Florida: the southernmost point of continental US
2. the southernmost point of Nova Scotia, Canada

sable

²

/ ˈseɪbəl /

noun

1. a marten, Martes zibellina, of N Asian forests, with dark brown luxuriant fur zibeline
2. 1. the highly valued fur of this animal
   2. ( as modifier )

      a sable coat

3. American sable
   the brown, slightly less valuable fur of the American marten, Martes americana
4. the colour of sable fur: a dark brown to yellowish-brown colour

adjective

1. of the colour of sable fur
2. black; dark; gloomy
3. usually postpositive heraldry of the colour black

Word History and Origins

Origin of sable¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of sable¹

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

Example Sentences

Perrineau, Lee, Chestnut and Diggs have joined forces with whiskey producer Bespoken Spirits to develop Sable, a bourbon with notes of mocha and dark chocolate that Diggs has characterized as an illustration of the quartet’s deep friendship.

From Los Angeles Times

“He might. Or he might not. If he doesn’t, we will always have Sable as our way of staying together as long as we can.”

From Los Angeles Times

In the nine years since the spill, the damaged pipeline was “evacuated, cleaned and preserved with inert nitrogen to maintain a corrosion-free state,” according to Steve Rusch, Sable’s vice president of environmental and regulatory affairs.

From Los Angeles Times

This year, Sable Offshore Corp., a Houston-based energy company, purchased the mothballed equipment and announced plans to restart oil extraction by the end of the year — including the failed pipeline.

From Los Angeles Times

But it later agreed to sell the Santa Ynez Unit platforms and pipelines to Sable in 2022.

From Los Angeles Times