Sabbaton

Sabbaton is the transliteration of the Greek noun sabbaton, used in biblical Greek to denote the Sabbath, the weekly day of rest. The term derives from the Hebrew Shabbat, meaning cessation or rest. In Latin, the equivalent is sabbatum, and in English the common term is Sabbath.

In the Septuagint and in the New Testament, sabbaton designates the Sabbath in both Jewish and early Christian contexts. The word is the singular form of sabbata (plural). The concept corresponds to a weekly day of rest and worship in Jewish law, observed from Friday evening to Saturday evening.

Religious practice: Judaism: Shabbat includes prayer, study, festive meals, and restrictions on work; families gather; synagogues. Christianity: In most traditions, the Sabbath shifted to Sunday as the Lord's Day, a weekly day of worship and rest; a few groups retain Saturday Sabbath, notably Seventh-day Adventists.

Linguistic usage: The term appears chiefly in biblical Greek and in scholarly discussions of liturgy, biblical translation, and early Christian writings. In contemporary English, "Sabbath" is used; "Sabbaton" appears mainly in linguistic or theological discussions.

The term is thus primarily of interest to linguists, theologians, and historians studying the Bible and early Christian practice.