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

I have seen one, in handbill form, for the funeral of a Madame Barbut, an old widow, in Martinique, closing with these words, “un de profundis, si vous,” etc.

From Dealings with the Dead, Volume I (of 2) by School, A Sexton of the Old

He will begin a letter with a de profundis, and towards the end forget his sorrows, glide into commonplace topics, and write about them in the ordinary strain.

From Cowper by Smith, Goldwin

De Profundis was de profundis indeed: Wilde was too good a dramatist to throw away so powerful an effect; but none the less it was de profundis in excelsis.

From Dark Lady of the Sonnets by Shaw, Bernard

Nothing was ever more mysteriously melancholy than Camille's improvisation; it seemed like the cry of a soul de profundis to God—from the depths of a grave!

From Beatrix by Wormeley, Katharine Prescott

Were its fronting precipices organs, with their mountainous columns and pilasters for organ-pipes, they might produce a de profundis worthy of the scene and of its sentiments, its inspiration.

From Overland by De Forest, J. W. (John William)