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 an 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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