abyss
Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Contents |
[edit] English
[edit] Etymology
From Middle English abissus, from Latin abyssus (“a bottomless gulf”), from Ancient Greek ἄβυσσος (abyssos, “bottomless”), from ἀ- (a-, “not”)+ βυσσός (bysso, “depth”).
[edit] Pronunciation
[edit] Noun
abyss (plural abysses)
- A bottomless or unfathomed depth, gulf, or chasm; hence, any deep, immeasurable, and, specifically, hell, or the bottomless pit.
- Infinite time; a vast intellectual or moral depth.
- (heraldry) The center of an escutcheon.
[edit] Quotations
- For examples of the usage of this term see the citations page.
[edit] Usage notes
This word, in its leading uses, is associated with the cosmological notions of the Hebrews, having reference to an illimitable mass of waters from which our earth sprung, and beneath whose profound depths the wicked were punished.
[edit] Derived terms
[edit] Related terms
[edit] Translations
a bottomless or unfathomed depth
|
|
infinite time; a vast intellectual or moral depth
- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.
Translations to be checked
