What does sable mean?
Sable is a word associated with deep blackness and the dark, velvety fur of a small marten. As an adjective, it describes a color that is black or very dark brown, although this use is now especially literary, poetic, or heraldic. As a noun, sable can denote the sable marten itself, the valuable fur made from its coat, or black as a heraldic tincture. The fur sense also survives in the names of high-end coats, hats, and other garments. Sable’s associations with rarity, luxury, and darkness give it a tone of elegance and severity. In ordinary modern speech, “black” will usually be clearer and more direct, but sable can add a dramatic, ceremonial, or traditionally elegant quality.
Black or dark brown in color, especially in literary or heraldic usage.
"A sable sky hung low over the moor."
Chiefly literary, poetic, or heraldic in contemporary English.
A sable marten, a mustelid native to northern Eurasia, or the dark fur of this animal. In heraldry, the word also names the tincture black.
"The antique collar was lined with soft sable."
The plain animal sense is uncommon compared with the historical fur sense and the heraldic color sense.
The plural is uncommon; it can denote multiple animals or pieces or types of sable fur.
"The merchant displayed several sables beside bolts of black velvet."
A sable is both a small, fierce marten and the name of the prized dark fur that once signaled wealth and status.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does sable come from?
The English word entered Middle English through Old French sable, used for a dark-colored marten and its fur. Its later color meaning developed from the characteristic appearance of the animal’s coat, while the heraldic sense arose from the tradition of naming colors as heraldic tinctures.
How sable is actually used
The color sense is chiefly literary or poetic, while the fur sense occurs mainly in formal, historical, or luxury-goods contexts. In heraldry, sable is a specific tincture rather than a general description of every shade of black.