sable

C2 Topic:Describing Qualities

US /ˈseɪbəl/ UK /ˈseɪbəl/ See IPA manual

Freq #21976

Meanings

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

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

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.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · black or very dark,... black ebonyjet-blackdark

2 noun · a small northern eurasian... martensable fur

3 noun · an artist's fine brush... sable brushfine brush

Opposites

white pale

Word family

Derived forms sabledsableness

Related forms martenzibelineheraldry ebonysable brush

Appears in

Phrases (2)

See all

sable coat
a fur coat made from sable pelts

Noun + noun
sable antelope
a large dark African antelope with long backward-curving horns

Adjective + noun

Etymology

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.

Topics

Describing Qualities Register & Style

External links

# sable

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2
**Part of speech:** adj, noun
**IPA (US):** /ˈseɪbəl/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈseɪbəl/
**Frequency rank:** 21976

## Meanings
1. black or very dark, especially in literary description or heraldry
2. a small northern Eurasian marten with valuable dark fur, or the fur of this animal
3. an artist's fine brush traditionally made with sable or similar hair

## Examples
- A sable curtain concealed the doorway at the end of the hall.
- The sable's dense winter coat made its fur highly prized.
- She used a small sable to paint the highlights around the eyes.

## Synonyms
- black
- ebony
- jet-black
- marten
- sable fur

## Antonyms
- white
- pale

## Derived Forms
- sabled
- sableness

## Related Forms
- marten
- zibeline
- heraldry
- ebony
- sable brush

## Etymology
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.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities
- Register & Style

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