Dictionary:

sable

  (sā'bəl)

1. 1. A carnivorous mammal (Martes zibellina) of northern Europe and Asia, having soft dark fur.
   2. The pelt or fur of this animal.
   3. The similar fur of other species of martens.
2. 1. The color black, especially in heraldry.
   2. sables Black garments worn in mourning.
3. A grayish yellowish brown.
4. A sablefish.

1. Of a grayish yellowish brown.
2. Of the color black, as in heraldry or mourning.
3. Dark; somber.
4. Of the fur of the sable: a sable coat.

[Middle English, from Old French, from Middle Low German sabel, from Old Russian sobol', ultimately from Persian samōr.]

A carnivore, Martes zibellina, of the family Mustelidae, found in northern Asia from the Urals to Japan; it is a valuable fur-bearing animal and quite similar to the American marten. The sable obtains food by preying upon other arboreal animals, principally birds and small mammals. It is well adapted to these activities, with its slender, supple body and short limbs with five short toes on each foot that terminate in sharp curved claws. The long bushy tail serves as a balancing organ. Mating occurs in summer, and three or four young are born the following spring. See also Carnivora; Marten.

For more information on sable, visit Britannica.com.

1. a coat color pattern with black-tipped hairs on a light background. Seen in the German shepherd dog.
2. breed of fur rabbit that is dark sepia with paler underside in a dense, soft coat. There are two varieties, Siamese and Marten, the latter having white markings on the belly and legs.

Sable
Conservation status
Least Concern
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Carnivora Family: Mustelidae Genus: Martes Species: M. zibellina
Binomial name
Martes zibellina Linnaeus, 1758

The Sable (Martes zibellina) is a small mammal, closely akin to the marten, living in southern Russia near the Ural Mountains through Siberia and Mongolia to Hokkaidō in Japan. Its range in the wild originally extended through European Russia to Poland and Scandinavia. It has achieved fame for its fur, which is integrated into various clothes fashions (for example the shtreimel). Sables range in color from tan to black, black being the most prized. The top grade of black sable fur is called "black diamond".

Sables are diurnal predators, using their sense of smell and hearing to hunt for small prey. They have been observed to hide in their dens for days during periods such as snow storms, or when they are being hunted by humans. In the wild they are potentially vicious; although there are "domesticated" sables who have been described as playful, curious, and even "tame" (if taken from their mother at a young age). They are mostly terrestrial, hunting and constructing dens on the forest floor. They feed on chipmunks, squirrels, mice, small birds and fish. When primary sources are scarce they eat berries, vegetation, and pine nuts. When weather conditions are extreme they will store their prey in their den.

The name sable appears to be Slavonic in origin: compare Russian sobol, whence various languages have adapted the term: German Zobel, Dutch Sabel; the French zibelline Spanish cibelina, cebellina, Finnish soopeli and Mediaeval Latin zibellina derive from the Italian form. The English and Mediaeval Latin word sabellum comes from the Old French sable or saible.

Sable hair is highly prized by the fur trade. The so-called Kolinsky sable-hair brushes used for watercolor or oil painting are not however manufactured from sable hair, but that of the siberian weasel.

The term has become a generic description for some black-furred animal breeds, such as sable cats or rabbits.

References

• Mustelid Specialist Group (1996). Martes zibellina. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 09 May 2006.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Martes zibellina

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Martes zibellina

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Dansk (Danish)
1.
n. - zobel, zobelskind, zobelpels, sørgedragt

2.
adj. - sort, mørk
n. - sort

Nederlands (Dutch)
sabelmarter, rouwkleding, sabelbont, zwart, donker

Français (French)
1.
n. - zibeline, (Hérald) sable

2.
adj. - noir (littér)
n. - noir (littér)

Deutsch (German)
1.
n. - Zobel

2.
adj. - schwarz
n. - Schwarz, Trauerkleidung

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - (ζωολ.) ζιμπελίνα, σαμούρι, (ποιητ.) μαύρο χρώμα, (στον πληθ.) πένθιμα/μαύρα ρούχα
adj. - σκούρος, σκοτεινός, ζοφερός

Italiano (Italian)
zibellino, detto di pennelli a pelo naturale (es.: martora)

Português (Portuguese)
n. - zibelina (f) (Zool.)
adj. - negro, sombrio, carregado

Русский (Russian)
соболь, соболий мех, тонкая кисточка из собольего волоса, манто из соболей, черный цвет, траур, соболиный, соболий

Español (Spanish)
1.
n. - cebellina, marta cebellina

2.
adj. - negro
n. - negro, (her) sable

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - sobel, sobelskinn, sobelpäls, sorgdräkt
adj. - mörk, sobel-, svart-

中文（简体） (Chinese (Simplified))
黑貂, 丧服, 黑貂皮, 黑貂皮的, 昏暗的, 黑的

中文（繁體） (Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 黑貂, 喪服, 黑貂皮
adj. - 黑貂皮的, 昏暗的, 黑的

한국어 (Korean)
1.
n. - 검은담비 털로 만든 화필, 검은담비의 가죽옷

2.
adj. - 흑색의, 무서운
n. - 흑색, 검은 상복

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - セーブル岬, クロテン, クロテンの毛皮
adj. - クロテン毛の, 黒色の

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) فرو السمور, السمور (صفه) قاتم جدا‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮צובל (טורף), פרוות-צובל, שער-צובל‬
adj. - ‮שחור, קודר‬
n. - ‮ברבים: בגדי אבל‬

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