sable

sand

“un grain de sable” — a grain of sand

Related: bac à sable, banc de sable, chat des sables, château de sable, grain de sable, jeu bac à sable, marchand de sable, sablage, sable mouvant, sabler

Inherited from Old French, from Vulgar Latin sablum, from Latin sabulum, alternative form of sabulō. Compare sablon, which was used more often in Old French. Compare Italian sabbia, Occitan sabla.

the heraldic colour sable; black

From Old French martre sable (“sable marten”), an animal. From Middle Low German sabel (compare Middle Dutch sabel, Middle High German zobel); ultimately from a Balto-Slavic word (compare Russian со́боль (sóbolʹ), Polish soból, Czech sobol). Compare also Persian سمور (samur). Doublet of zibeline.