de profundis
Americanadverb
Etymology
Origin of de profundis
from the first words of Psalm 130
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
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
When school is out they shall go together before the charnel-house and each one shall repeat with devotion a pater noster, an ave maria or the psalm de profundis and then return home quietly.
From The Life and Times of Ulric Zwingli by Hottinger, Johann Jakob
He shivered, and one could see his steaming breath at each de profundis that he uttered.
From L'Assommoir by Zola, Émile
From out of the deep dark pits men see the stars more gloriously—and de profundis amavi— It is a very poor answer!
From The Letters of Robert Browning and Elizabeth Barrett Barrett, Vol. 1 (of 2) 1845-1846 by Browning, Robert
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
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
