abyssal

[ uh-bis-uhl ]

/ əˈbɪs əl /

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adjective

of or like an abyss; immeasurable; unfathomable.

Oceanography. of or relating to the biogeographic zone of the ocean bottom between the bathyal and hadal zones: from depths of approximately 13,000 to 21,000 feet (4,000 to 6,500 meters).

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Origin of abyssal

First recorded in 1600–10; from Medieval Latin abyssālis, see origin at abyss, -al¹

Words nearby abyssal

aby, Abydos, abysm, abysmal, abyss, abyssal, abyssal plain, Abyssinia, Abyssinian, Abyssinian banana, Abyssinian cat

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use abyssal in a sentence

Though surveys are difficult to conduct at the depths where they live and much of the abyssal plains have not been explored, we do know that xenophyophore meadows may cover large areas and that they inhabit the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.
The Largest Cells on Earth - Issue 99: Universality|Rebecca R. Helm|May 5, 2021|Nautilus
They are the summits of very lofty mountains which have their bases in an abyssal ocean.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 17, Slice 3|Various
Verily, wheresoever it is, it is in the Abyssal World, where there is neither end nor limit.
Dialogues on the Supersensual Life|Jacob Behmen
Oceanic islands are those, usually very small, found in the midst of the ocean, with abyssal depth all about.
Evolution|Joseph Le Conte

The zonarial Radiolaria live floating at various depths between the pelagic and abyssal species ( 234).
Report on the Radiolaria Collected by H.M.S. Challenger During the Years 1873-1876, First Part: Porulosa (Spumellaria and Acantharia)|Ernst Haeckel
It must be remembered that abyssal faunas are almost unknown among fossils.
Appletons' Popular Science Monthly, Vol. 56, March 1900|Various

British Dictionary definitions for abyssal

abyssal

/ (əˈbɪsəl) /

adjective

of or belonging to the ocean depths, esp below 2000 metres (6500 feet)abyssal zone

geology another word for plutonic

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for abyssal

abyssal

[ ə-bĭs′əl ]

Relating to the greatest depths of the oceans and to the organisms that live there. The abyssal zone encompasses all depths below 4,000 m (13,120 ft).

Relating to the region of the ocean bottom between the bathyal and hadal zones, from depths of approximately 2,000 to 6,000 m (6,560 to 19,680 ft). The abyssal zone includes nearly two-thirds of the Earth's surface.

abyssal

Origin of abyssal

Words nearby abyssal

Words related to abyssal

How to use abyssal in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for abyssal

Scientific definitions for abyssal