sable
sa·ble/ˈseɪbəl/noun, adjective
sable is spelled S-A-B-L-E: 5 letters and 2 syllables (sa·ble). It appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 29,270th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, sable means “A small carnivorous mammal of the Old World that resembles a weasel, Martes zibellina, from cold regions in Eurasia and the North Pacific islands…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of sable is sables.
How many letters and syllables are in sable?
| Letters | 5: S-A-B-L-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: sa·ble |
| In writing | about once in every 1 million words; the 29,270th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is sable?
Sable appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 29,270th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce sable?
- /ˈseɪbəl/
- /ˈseɪbɫ/
Sable has 2 syllables, split sa·ble in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-sable.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of sable
- sables plural
- sa.
- s.
- sabler comparative
- sablest superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does sable mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
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
Any other marten, especially Martes americana (syn. Mustela americana).
- 3
A pelt of fur of a sable or of one of another species of martens; a coat made from this fur.
- 4
An artist's brush made from the fur of the sable, the kolinsky sable-hair brush.
- 5
A black colour on a coat of arms.
- 6
A dark brown colour, resembling the fur of some sables.
- 7
Black garments, especially worn in mourning.
- 8
The sablefish.
adjective
- 1
Sable-coloured, black.
- 2
In blazon, of the colour black.
- 3
Made of sable fur.
- 4
Dark, somber.
- 5
archaicDark-skinned; Black.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
How do you abbreviate sable?
Wiktionary records 2 abbreviations of sable: sa., sab..
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Sable in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | zibeline, martre , sable |
| German | Zobel , Schwarz , schwarz |
| Portuguese | zibelina , sable , saibro |
| Spanish | cebellina, marta cibelina , sable , marta |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does sable come from?
Attested since 1275, from Middle English sable, from Old French sable and martre sable (“sable marten”), in reference to the animal or its fur; from Medieval Latin sabelum, from Middle Low German sabel (compare Middle Dutch sabel, Middle High German zobel, whence German Zobel); ultimately from a Slavic word (compare Russian со́боль (sóbolʹ), Polish soból, Czech sobol). Compare also Middle Persian smwl (*samōr).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).