Definitions:

1. A period of leave, typically lasting one year, granted to employees, especially in academic, educational, or research settings, to allow them to rest, study, or travel. NOUN
   • The University president announced a sabbatical year for all faculty members to foster research innovations and academic excellence.
2. A yearlong period to be observed by Jews once every seven years, during which the fields were to be left untilled and all agricultural labors were to be suspended. NOUN
   • The defenders found themselves in a precarious situation because their provisions were exhausted, it being a sabbatical year during which the fields were left uncultivated.

Synonyms:

• leave of absence
• research leave
• sabbatical
• study leave