de profundis

American  

[dey proh-foon-dis] / deɪ proʊˈfʊn dɪs /

Latin.

1. out of the depths (of sorrow, despair, etc.).

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de profundis British  

/ deɪ prɒˈfʊndɪs /

adverb

1. out of the depths of misery or dejection

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Etymology

Origin of de profundis

from the first words of Psalm 130

Example Sentences

Vibrating over the sands and through the rocks, filling the immense void, crying out as it were for the sphinx, a veritable de profundis of the wastes.

From The Human Side of Animals by Dixon, Royal

Her letters were written in varying spirits, sometimes cheery, sometimes de profundis.

From Willing to Die by Le Fanu, Joseph Sheridan

And finally, a great English poet had rushed down on Venice like a raven on a corpse, to croak out in lyric poetry—the first and last utterance of social man—the burden of a de profundis.

From Massimilla Doni by Balzac, Honoré de

He shivered, and one could see his steaming breath at each de profundis that he uttered.

From L'Assommoir by Zola, Émile