Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun The seventh day of the week, Saturday, observed as the day of rest and worship in Judaism and some Christian sects.
  • noun The first day of the week, Sunday, observed as the day of rest and worship in most forms of Christianity.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun In the Jewish calendar, the seventh day of the week, now known as Saturday, observed as a day of rest from secular employment, and of religious observance.
  • noun The first day of the week, similarly observed by most Christian denominations: more properly designated Sunday, or the Lord's Day.
  • noun [lowercase] A time of rest or quiet; respite from toil, trouble, pain, sorrow, etc.
  • noun [lowercase] The sabbatical year among the Israelites.
  • noun A midnight meeting supposed in the middle ages to have been held annually by demons, sorcerers, and witches, under the leadership of Satan, for the purpose of celebrating their orgies. More fully called Witches' Sabbath. Also, archaically, Sabbat.
  • Of, pertaining to, or characteristic of the Sabbath (or, by common but less proper use, Sunday): as, Sabbath duties; Sabbath observance; Sabbath stillness.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun A season or day of rest; one day in seven appointed for rest or worship, the observance of which was enjoined upon the Jews in the Decalogue, and has been continued by the Christian church with a transference of the day observed from the last to the first day of the week, which is called also Lord's Day.
  • noun The seventh year, observed among the Israelites as one of rest and festival.
  • noun Fig.: A time of rest or repose; intermission of pain, effort, sorrow, or the like.
  • noun one who violates the law of the Sabbath.
  • noun the violation of the law of the Sabbath.
  • noun a distance of about a mile, which, under Rabbinical law, the Jews were allowed to travel on the Sabbath.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • proper noun The Biblical seventh day of the week, observed as a day of rest in Judaism, Seventh-day Adventism, or Seventh Day Baptism, starting at sundown on Friday till sundown on Saturday.
  • proper noun Sunday, observed throughout the majority of Christianity as a day of rest.
  • proper noun Friday, observed in Islam as a day of rest.
  • proper noun A meeting of witches at midnight.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a day of rest and worship: Sunday for most Christians; Saturday for the Jews and a few Christians; Friday for Muslims

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English sabat, from Old French sabbat and Old English sabat, both from Latin sabbatum, from Greek sabbaton, from Hebrew šabbāt, from šābat, to cease, rest; see šbt in Semitic roots.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Ancient Greek σάββατον (sábbaton, "Sabbath"), from Hebrew שבת (shabát, "Sabbath").

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