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

The hatch of the steamer is opened, a most unmusical winch commences operations—and a sewing machine emerges de profundis.

From A Labrador Doctor The Autobiography of Wilfred Thomason Grenfell by Grenfell, Wilfred Thomason, Sir

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)

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

From L'Assommoir by Zola, Émile

The inward man cannot, even from Darien peaks of observation or in his scrutiny de profundis, discover any vital or historical connection between the two faiths, Christianity and Buddhism.

From The Religions of Japan From the Dawn of History to the Era of Méiji by Griffis, William Elliot

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