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The History of Sabbatical and Sabbath: Take a Break
We tend to think of sabbatical in academic terms, as a school year free from teaching duties that can be devoted to research, travel, and writing. Traditionally, this occurs every seventh year. Because of this scholarly context, we may easily miss what is hiding in plain sight: that sabbatical is related to Sabbath, which refers to the Biblical day of rest, or the seventh day. We trace the origins of both sabbatical and Sabbath to the Greek word sabbaton. Sabbaton itself traces to the Hebrew word shabbāth, meaning “rest.”
The Old Testament refers to God’s “day of rest” most famously in Genesis, but Sabbath referring to an entire year of rest is mentioned in Leviticus (25:3-5):
Six years thou shalt sow thy field, and six years thou shalt prune thy vineyard, and gather in the fruit thereof;
But in the seventh year shall be a sabbath of rest unto the land, a sabbath for the LORD: thou shalt neither sow thy field, nor prune thy vineyard.
That which groweth of its own accord of thy harvest thou shalt not reap, neither gather the grapes of thy vine undressed: for it is a year of rest unto the land.
Sabbatical is also used as an adjective to refer specifically to the rules governing the observance of the Sabbath, as in “sabbatical laws.”
Examples of sabbatical in a Sentence
Kimberlee Kruesi, Los Angeles Times, 4 Mar. 2026
Fuentes, who will go on sabbatical starting July 1, succeeded former President George Martin, who retired after 21 years at the university.
—Lily Kepner, Austin American Statesman, 25 Feb. 2026
Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 17 Apr. 2026
On his last day before he’s scheduled to ride off on his motorcycle for a three-month sabbatical that’s only barely disguising his suicidal ideation, Robby spends his final shift lashing out at his co-workers.
—Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 17 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for sabbatical
Cite this Entry
“Sabbatical.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sabbatical. Accessed 23 Apr. 2026.
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