Shemitah
/ʃəˈmiːtə/noun
The sabbatical year in Jewish tradition, observed every seventh year when agricultural land rests and certain debts are released.
Did you know?The Hebrew term comes from a root meaning “to release” or “let drop,” linking the sabbatical year to the release of debts and the land’s enforced rest.
Etymological Timeline
Biblical Hebrew
Hebrew
שְׁמִטָּה (šəmiṭṭāh)
“Release; remission; the seventh year of rest for the land and release of debts”
Biblical Hebrew
Hebrew
שָׁמַט (šāmaṭ)
“To let drop, release, or relinquish”
3rd–2nd Century BCE
Greek
ἄφεσις (aphesis)
“Release or remission; used in the Septuagint for the concept of release”
Late Antiquity
Rabbinic Hebrew
שביעית (shevi'it)
“The seventh year, another rabbinic designation for the sabbatical year”
19th–20th Century
English
shemitah
“An English loanword referring to the Jewish sabbatical year”