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Glite Dictionary
🌴 A work break 🧳 Related to leave 🕍 About the Sabbath
sabbatical

sabbatical

6.9
Relating to a period away from work for study or travel
  • adjective
  • /səˈbætɪkəl/
translation icon : sabático
  • I am in sabbatical semester here at Harvard.

Examples

  • She took a sabbatical to travel in Europe and explore new academic ideas.

  • During his sabbatical, he focused on writing his research paper without distractions.

  • The university offers a sabbatical for faculty who wish to pursue independent study.

Compounds

sabbatical leave
1 5.3

A period of paid time away from work to study or travel

sabbatical year
5.3

A year away from work for rest, study, or travel

Surface Forms

sabbatical positive

Morphology

sabbatical = sabbath (semi-transparent) = sabbath + ical

Formally 'Sabbath' + '-ical' yields 'relating to a sabbatical leave'; while the derivation is clear, the specific institutional meaning ('relating to a period away from work for study') is an extended, somewhat specialized sense.

Etymology

Sabbatical as an adjective comes from the same Hebrew root shabbat meaning 'rest', and it describes time away for study or renewal. That's why we talk about a 'sabbatical leave' or a 'sabbatical year' as a period to step away from regular work and focus on something new.