abyss
Definition from Wiktionary, a free dictionary
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[edit] English
[edit] Etymology
From Middle English abissus < Latin abyssus (“‘a bottomless gulf’”) < Ancient Greek ἄβυσσος (abyssos), “‘bottomless’”) < ἀ- (a-), “‘not’”)+ βυσσός (bysso), “‘depth’”).
[edit] Pronunciation
[edit] Noun
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Singular |
Plural |
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 a supposed illimitable mass of waters from which our earth sprung, and beneath whose profound depths the wicked were punished.
[edit] Translations
a bottomless or unfathomed depth
infinite time; a vast intellectual or moral depth
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