sable

Meanings

1. 1
   adj

   black or very dark, especially in literary description or heraldry

   A sable curtain concealed the doorway at the end of the hall.

2. 2
   noun

   a small northern Eurasian marten with valuable dark fur, or the fur of this animal

   The sable's dense winter coat made its fur highly prized.

3. 3
   noun

   an artist's fine brush traditionally made with sable or similar hair

   She used a small sable to paint the highlights around the eyes.

From Middle English and Old French sable, first referring to the animal and its fur, through Medieval Latin sabelum and Middle Low German sabel. The word is ultimately Slavic, related to Russian sobol and Polish sobol. The color sense arose from the animal's dark fur and became the heraldic term for black.

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