| Sable | n. [ OF. sable, F. zibeline sable (in sense 4), LL. sabellum; cf. D. sabel, Dan. sabel, zobel, Sw. sabel, sobel, G. zobel; all fr. Russ. sóbole. ] 1. (Zool.) A carnivorous animal of the Weasel family (Mustela zibellina) native of the northern latitudes of Europe, Asia, and America, -- noted for its fine, soft, and valuable fur. [ 1913 Webster ] ☞ The sable resembles the marten, but has a longer head and ears. Its fur consists of a soft under wool, with a dense coat of hair, overtopped by another still longer. It varies greatly in color and quality according to the locality and the season of the year. The darkest and most valuable furs are taken in autumn and winter in the colder parts of Siberia, Russia, and British North America. [ 1913 Webster ] ☞ The American sable, or marten, was formerly considered a distinct species (Mustela Americana), but it differs very little from the Asiatic sable, and is now considered only a geographical variety. [ 1913 Webster ] 2. The fur of the sable. [ 1913 Webster ] 3. A mourning garment; a funeral robe; -- generally in the plural. “Sables wove by destiny.” Young. [ 1913 Webster ] 4. (Her.) The tincture black; -- represented by vertical and horizontal lines crossing each other. [ 1913 Webster ] |
| Sable | a. Of the color of the sable's fur; dark; black; -- used chiefly in poetry. [ 1913 Webster ] Night, sable goddess! from her ebon throne,
In rayless majesty, now stretches forth
Her leaden scepter o'er a slumbering world. Young. [ 1913 Webster ]
Sable antelope (Zool.), a large South African antelope (Hippotragus niger). Both sexes have long, sharp horns. The adult male is black; the female is dark chestnut above, white beneath. --
Sable iron, a superior quality of Russia iron; -- so called because originally stamped with the figure of a sable. --
Sable mouse (Zool.), the lemming. [ 1913 Webster ]
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