ABYSS

abyss, abysm

(noun) a bottomless gulf or pit; any unfathomable (or apparently unfathomable) cavity or chasm or void extending below (often used figuratively)

Source: WordNet® 3.1

Etymology

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 16^th century.]

Anything infinite, immeasurable, or profound. [First attested in the late 16^th century.]

Moral depravity; vast intellectual or moral depth.

An impending catastrophic happening.

(heraldry) The center of an escutcheon.

(oceanography) The abyssal zone.

(figurative) A difference, especially a large difference, between groups.

Usage notes

• (impending catastrophic happening): It is typically preceded by the word the.

Synonyms

• (difference): gulf

Anagrams

• bassy

Source: Wiktionary

A*byss", n. Etym: [L. abyssus a bottomless gulf, fr. Gr.

1. A bottomless or unfathomed depth, gulf, or chasm; hence, any deep, immeasurable, and, specifically, hell, or the bottomless pit. Ye powers and spirits of this nethermost abyss. Milton. The throne is darkness, in the abyss of light. Dryden.

2. Infinite time; a vast intellectual or moral depth. The abysses of metaphysical theology. Macaulay. In unfathomable abysses of disgrace. Burke.

3. (Her.)

Definition: The center of an escutcheon.

Note: 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. Encyc. Brit.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition