abyss

¹

[ uh-bis ]

noun

1. a deep, immeasurable space, gulf, or cavity; vast chasm.
2. anything that seems to be without end or is impossible to measure, define, or comprehend:

   the abyss of their grief and sorrow.

3. (in ancient cosmogony)
   1. the primal chaos before Creation.
   2. the infernal regions; hell.
   3. a subterranean ocean.

Abyss.

²

abbreviation for

1. Abyssinia.
2. Abyssinian.

abyss

/ əˈbɪs /

noun

1. a very deep or unfathomable gorge or chasm
2. anything that appears to be endless or immeasurably deep, such as time, despair, or shame
3. hell or the infernal regions conceived of as a bottomless pit

Word History and Origins

Origin of abyss¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English abissus, from Late Latin abyssus, from Greek ábyssos “bottomless,” equivalent to a- a- ⁶ + byssós “bottom of the sea”

Word History and Origins

Origin of abyss¹

C16: via Late Latin from Greek abussos bottomless (as in the phrase abussos limnē bottomless lake), from a- ¹+ bussos depth

Example Sentences

It has brought pure emotion to the surface, too, from Peter O'Mahony sobbing euphorically in Wellington to Johnny Sexton staring into the abyss in Paris.

From BBC

That’s powerless shrug-emoji narrative is not merely the signpost pointing into the abyss, which is pretty much where the party is already, but a death march toward obliteration and irrelevance.

From Salon

“The only path to save the region from that is for Israel to stop the aggressions on Gaza, on Lebanon, stop unilateral measures, illegal measures in the West Bank, that is also pushing the situation to the abyss,” he stated.

From BBC

For my part, I’m doing whatever I can to promote the idea that men who are concerned about the present and future of democracy and sanity in this country need to speak directly to our fellow men — including young men — and pull some of them back from the abyss.

From Salon

After spending their pregame interview sessions talking about how it felt to be on the precipice of the World Series, the Dodgers quickly fell into a loud and strange abyss that was an outlier, not a trend.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• chasm
• crevasse
• depth
• void