Abyss.

¹ American  

abbreviation

1. Abyssinia.

2. Abyssinian.

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abyss ² American  

[uh-bis] / əˈbɪs /

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.

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abyss British  

/ 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

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Etymology

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”

Example Sentences

It’s the confrontation between a sensibility and the abyss, not just touching the edge but coming away with a song, that makes a person seem everlasting.

From The Wall Street Journal

“I’m supposed to know how to transmit information. Prices were moving so quickly I couldn’t get a fix. It felt like a black hole. The abyss.”

From Literature

The migratory sea creatures disappeared back down into the abyss.

From Literature

Not long ago, Gardner and Williams were reasons to hope that the Jets were close to clawing their way out of their perpetual abyss.

From The Wall Street Journal

Before any of that, though, the Dodgers walked right to the edge of the abyss and contemplated the end of their budding dynasty.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• chasm
• crevasse
• depth
• void