abyss

Meaning

Hell; the bottomless pit; primeval chaos; a confined subterranean ocean.
A bottomless or unfathomed depth, gulf, or chasm; hence, any deep, immeasurable; any void space.
Anything infinite, immeasurable, or profound.
Moral depravity; vast intellectual or moral depth.
An impending catastrophic happening.
The center of an escutcheon.
The abyssal zone.
A difference, especially a large difference, between groups.

chasm

the deep

deep pool

deep pit

deep-ocean floor

one’s innermost feelings

natherworld

deep hole

deep-sea floor

Frequency

Hyphenated as

a‧byss

Pronounced as (IPA)

/əˈbɪs/

Inherited from Middle English

abissus

In summary

From Middle English abissus, from Late Latin abyssus (“a bottomless gulf”), from Ancient Greek ἄβυσσος (ábussos, “bottomless”), from ἀ- (a-, “not”) + βυσσός (bussós, “deep place”), from βυθός (buthós, “deep place”). Displaced native Old English neowolnes.

Bookmark this

Improve your pronunciation