abyss

== English == === Alternative forms === abysm, abyssus (archaic) abime (obsolete) === Etymology === From Middle English abissus, from Late Latin abyssus (“a bottomless gulf”), from Ancient Greek ἄβυσσος (ábussos, “bottomless”), from ἀ- (a-, “not”) + βυσσός (bussós, “deep place”), from βυθός (buthós, “deep place”). Displaced native Old English neowolnes. === Pronunciation === (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /əˈbɪs/ (US) IPA(key): /əˈbɪs/, /æˈbɪs/, enPR: ə-bĭs' Rhymes: -ɪs Hyphenation: a‧byss === Noun === abyss (plural abysses) Hell; the bottomless pit; primeval chaos; a confined subterranean ocean. [First attested around 1350 to 1470.] (frequently figurative) A bottomless or unfathomed depth, gulf, or chasm; hence, any deep, immeasurable; any void space. [First attested in the late 16th century.] Anything infinite, immeasurable, or profound. [First attested in the late 16th century.] Moral depravity; vast intellectual or moral depth. (with article) An impending catastrophic happening. (heraldry) The center of an escutcheon; fess point. (oceanography) The abyssal zone. (figurative) A difference, especially a large difference, between groups. Synonym: gulf ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Related terms ==== abysmal ==== Translations ==== === References === === Anagrams === bassy