Meaning

(countable) A small carnivorous mammal of the Old World that resembles a weasel, Martes zibellina, from cold regions in Eurasia and the North Pacific islands, valued for its dark brown fur..

Definitions by Sense

1. (countable) A small carnivorous mammal of the Old World that resembles a weasel, Martes zibellina, from cold regions in Eurasia and the North Pacific islands, valued for its dark brown fur.
2. (countable) Any other marten, especially Martes americana (syn. Mustela americana).
3. (countable and uncountable) A pelt of fur of a sable or of one of another species of martens; a coat made from this fur.
4. (countable) An artist's brush made from the fur of the sable, the kolinsky sable-hair brush.
5. (heraldry) A black colour on a coat of arms.
6. (countable and uncountable) A dark brown colour, resembling the fur of some sables.
7. (in the plural, sables) Black garments, especially worn in mourning.
8. The sablefish.

Example Sentences

"Ye must avenge my sister's son's death; I will sables and martins bestow."

Lovers dallied upon divans spread with sables.

I ſee its Sables wove by Deſtiny.

[…]a delighted shout from the children swung him toward the door again. His sister, Mrs. Gerard, stood there in carriage gown and sables, radiant with surprise. ¶ "Phil! You! Exactly like you, Philip, to come strolling in from the antipodes—dear fellow!" recovering from the fraternal embrace and holding both lapels of his coat in her gloved hands.

When I behold the violet past prime, And sable curls all silver'd o'er with white

Night, sable goddess! from her ebon throne, / In rayless majesty, now stretches forth / Her leaden sceptre o'er a slumbering world.

They wound between the wagons to a tent removed from the rest of the traders'. It was crimson at the top and sable at the bottom, with thin triangles of colors stabbing into each other.

She turned and waved a hand to him, she cried a word, but he didn't hear it, it was a lost word. A sable wraith she was in the parkland, fading away into the dolorous crypt of winter.

Word Forms

• sables
• sa.
• s.
• sabler
• sablest

Synonyms for sable

Related Words

When Should You Use Sable?

Use sable when its meaning, tone and grammar fit the full sentence. A synonym is not always a direct replacement.

Practice This Word

Frequently Asked Questions