abyss
Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary
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English [edit]
Alternative forms [edit]
Etymology [edit]
- 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”),[1],[2] from βυθός (bythos, “deep place”).[3]
Pronunciation [edit]
- (RP) IPA: /əˈbɪs/
- (US) IPA: /əˈbɪs/, /æˈbɪs/, enPR: ə-bĭs', X-SAMPA: /@"bIs/
- Rhymes: -ɪs
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Audio (US) (file)
Noun [edit]
abyss (plural abysses)
- Hell; the bottomless pit; primeval chaos; a confined subterranean ocean. [First attested around 1350 to 1470.][1]
- (frequently figuratively) A bottomless or unfathomed depth, gulf, or chasm; hence, any deep, immeasurable; any void space. [First attested in the late 16th century.][1]
- Anything infinite, immeasurable, or profound. [First attested in the late 16th century.][1]
- Moral depravity; vast intellectual or moral depth.
- An impending catastrophic happening.
- (heraldry) The center of an escutcheon.
Quotations [edit]
- For usage examples of this term, see the citations page.
Usage notes [edit]
- (impending catastrophic happening): It is typically preceded by the word the.
Derived terms [edit]
Related terms [edit]
Translations [edit]
bottomless or unfathomed depth
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moral depravity, vast intellectual or moral depth
heraldry: center of an escutcheon
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- 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
References [edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 2003 [1933], Brown, Lesley editor, The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary, edition 5th, Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, ISBN 978-0-19-860575-7, page 11:
- ^ 1971 [1969], Morris, William editor, The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, New York, NY: American Heritage Publishing Co., Inc., ISBN 0-395-09066-0, page 6:
- ^ 1976 [1909], Gove, Philip Babcock editor, Webster's Third International Dictionary of the English Language Unabridged, Springfield, MA: G. & C. Merriam Co., ISBN 0-87779-101-5, page 9:
