abyss

a·byss

Use abyss in a sentence

A switchback path leads into the abyss.

noun

The definition of an abyss is an extremely deep or bottomless hole or chasm, either literal or figurative.

A bottomless pit is an example of an abyss.
A person who is very depressed may be said to have fallen into an abyss.

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"abyss." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 18 December 2018. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/abyss>.

APA Style

abyss. (n.d.). Retrieved December 18th, 2018, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/abyss

abyss

a deep fissure in the earth; bottomless gulf; chasm
anything too deep for measurement; profound depth: abyss of shame, of time, etc.
the ocean depths
Theol. the primeval void or chaos before the Creation

Origin of abyss

Classical Latin abyssus from Classical Greek abyssos from a-, without + byssos, bottom

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MLA Style

"abyss." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 18 December 2018. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/abyss>.

APA Style

abyss. (n.d.). Retrieved December 18th, 2018, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/abyss

abyss

noun

An immeasurably deep chasm, depth, or void: “lost in the vast abysses of space and time” ( Loren Eiseley )
a. In the book of Genesis, the primeval Chaos out of which earth and sky were formed.
b. The abode of evil spirits; hell.

Origin of abyss

Middle English abissus from Late Latin abyssus from Greek abussos bottomless a- without ; see a- ¹. bussos bottom

THE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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Link to this page

Cite this page

MLA Style

"abyss." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 18 December 2018. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/abyss>.

APA Style

abyss. (n.d.). Retrieved December 18th, 2018, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/abyss

Proper noun

Abbreviation of Abyssinia.

Adjective

(not comparable)

Abbreviation of Abyssinian.

Noun

(plural abysses)

Hell; the bottomless pit; primeval chaos; a confined subterranean ocean. [First attested around 1350 to 1470.]
(frequently figuratively) A bottomless or unfathomed depth, gulf, or chasm; hence, any deep, immeasurable; any void space. [First attested in the late 16^th century.]
Anything infinite, immeasurable, or profound. [First attested in the late 16^th century.]
Moral depravity; vast intellectual or moral depth.
An impending catastrophic happening.
(heraldry) The center of an escutcheon.

Usage notes

(impending catastrophic happening): It is typically preceded by the word the.

Anagrams

bassy

Origin

From Middle English abissus, from Late Latin abyssus (“a bottomless gulf”), from Ancient Greek ἄβυσσος (abussos, “bottomless”), from ἀ- (a-, “not”)+ βυσσός (bussos, “deep place”),, from βυθός (bythos, “deep place”).

English Wiktionary. Available under CC-BY-SA license.