abyss
[ uh-bis ]
/ əˈbɪs /
noun
a deep, immeasurable space, gulf, or cavity; vast chasm.
anything profound, unfathomable, or infinite: the abyss of time.
(in ancient cosmogony)
- the primal chaos before Creation.
- the infernal regions; hell.
- a subterranean ocean.
Origin of abyss
1350–1400; earlier
abisse, Middle English
abissus < Late Latin
abyssus < Greek
ábyssos bottomless, equivalent to
a-
a-6 +
byssós bottom of the sea
Words nearby abyss
aby,
abydos,
abyla,
abysm,
abysmal,
abyss,
abyss.,
abyssal,
abyssinia,
abyssinian,
abyssinian banana
Definition for abyss (2 of 2)
Example sentences from the Web for abyss
British Dictionary definitions for abyss
abyss
/ (əˈbɪs) /
noun
a very deep or unfathomable gorge or chasm
anything that appears to be endless or immeasurably deep, such as time, despair, or shame
hell or the infernal regions conceived of as a bottomless pit
Word Origin for abyss
C16: via Late Latin from Greek
abussos bottomless (as in the phrase
abussos limnē bottomless lake), from
a-
1 +
bussos depth