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abyss
[ uh-bis ]
/ əˈbɪs /
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This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
noun
a deep, immeasurable space, gulf, or cavity; vast chasm.
anything that seems to be without end or is impossible to measure, define, or comprehend: the abyss of their grief and sorrow.
(in ancient cosmogony)
- the primal chaos before Creation.
- the infernal regions; hell.
- a subterranean ocean.
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Origin of abyss
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”
Words nearby abyss
Abwehr, aby, Abydos, abysm, abysmal, abyss, abyssal, abyssal plain, Abyssinia, Abyssinian, Abyssinian banana
Other definitions for abyss (2 of 2)
Abyss.
abbreviation
Abyssinia.
Abyssinian.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use abyss in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for abyss
abyss
/ (əˈbɪs) /
noun
a very deep or unfathomable gorge or chasm
anything that appears to be endless or immeasurably deep, such as time, despair, or shame
hell or the infernal regions conceived of as a bottomless pit
Word Origin for abyss
C16: via Late Latin from Greek abussos bottomless (as in the phrase abussos limnē bottomless lake), from a- 1 + bussos depth
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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