Where does “sable” come from?

Sable comes from Old French sable, from Late Latin sablum, from Latin sabulo, meaning sand or gravel.

sable (English): A small carnivorous mammal of the Old World that...

Definitions

  1. A small carnivorous mammal of the Old World that...

Ancestry of “sable”, step by step

sable traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Old French sable

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Frenchsablesable (fur of a sable)
2Late Latinsablum—
3Latinsabulocoarse sand, gravel

via Old French martre sable

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Frenchmartre sablesable marten; sable martin
2Middle Low Germansabel—

Words derived from “sable”

Every word from Latin sabulo →Every word from Late Latin sablum →Every word from Old French sable →