Dictionary

abyss en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /əˈbɪs/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• /əˈbɪs/ (US)
• ə-bĭs' (US)
• (US) audio
• /æˈbɪs/ (US)

Etymology

From Middle English abissus, from Late Latin abyssus (“a bottomless gulf”), from Ancient Greek ἄβυσσος (ábussos, “bottomless”, from ἀ- (a-, “not”) + βυσσός (bussós, “deep place”)), from βυθός (buthós, “deep place”). Displaced native Old English neowolnes.

Meanings

1. Hell; the bottomless pit; primeval chaos; a confined subterranean ocean.
   • 'You cannot enter here,' said Gandalf, and the huge shadow halted. 'Go back to the abyss prepared for you! Go back! Fall into the nothingness that awaits you and your Master. Go!' 1955, J. R. R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, →OL, page 190:
2. (qualifier:frequently figurative) A bottomless or unfathomed depth, gulf, or chasm; hence, any deep, immeasurable; any void space.
   • Below is the deep abyss of the Lauterbrunnen valley, and at its head a stately semi-circle of mountains, with the pyramidal Lauterbrunnen Breithorn as the centre-piece. 1960 December, Voyageur, “The Mountain Railways of the Bernese Oberland”, in Trains Illustrated, page 752:
3. Anything infinite, immeasurable, or profound.
4. Moral depravity; vast intellectual or moral depth.
   • They fell into the abyss of drug addiction.
5. (with article) An impending catastrophic happening.
6. The center of an escutcheon; fess point.
7. The abyssal zone.
8. (figuratively) A difference, especially a large difference, between groups.

Forms

Deriveds

abyssal · abysslike · abyssolithic · abyssic · oceanic abyss · abyssopelagic · abyssolith · abysmic · abyssobenthic

Relateds

abysmal

Synonyms

gulf

Translations (191)

lt prarajà (bottomless or unfathomed depth) · grc Ἄβῠσσος (hell, bottomless pit) · ru се́рдце (heraldry: center of an escutcheon) · uk безо́дня (bottomless or unfathomed depth) · cmn 深淵 /深渊 (impending catastrophe) · ia abysmo (bottomless or unfathomed depth) · fi kuilu (difference) · nl afgrond (hell, bottomless pit) · fy ôfgrûn (bottomless or unfathomed depth) · da afgrund (hell, bottomless pit) · nl afgrond (moral depravity, vast intellectual or moral depth) · sl brezno (hell, bottomless pit) · cmn 深淵 /深渊 (heraldry: center of an escutcheon) · da afgrund (bottomless or unfathomed depth) · ca abisme (bottomless or unfathomed depth) · sv avgrund (moral depravity, vast intellectual or moral depth) · es abismo (hell, bottomless pit) · bg бе́здна (hell, bottomless pit) · de Abgrund (bottomless or unfathomed depth) · grc ἄβυσσος (bottomless or unfathomed depth) · sv avgrund (bottomless or unfathomed depth) · nv doo nihonítʼį́ʼgóó ahoodzą́ (bottomless or unfathomed depth) · nl kloof (difference) · hy անդունդ (hell, bottomless pit) · fa مغاک (hell, bottomless pit) · la profundum (hell, bottomless pit) · fa مغاک (bottomless or unfathomed depth) · gl abismo (hell, bottomless pit) · be про́рва (hell, bottomless pit) · ja 淵 (hell, bottomless pit) · ota دریڭلك (bottomless or unfathomed depth) · uk прова́лля (hell, bottomless pit) · pt abismo (hell, bottomless pit) · nl ravijn (bottomless or unfathomed depth) · cs propast (hell, bottomless pit) · et kuristik (hell, bottomless pit) · fi kauheus (impending catastrophe) · el άβυσσος (moral depravity, vast intellectual or moral depth) · es sima (bottomless or unfathomed depth) · fi kurimus (bottomless or unfathomed depth) · ta பாதாளம் (bottomless or unfathomed depth) · sv avgrund (hell, bottomless pit) · fi syöveri (bottomless or unfathomed depth) · kk шыңырау (hell, bottomless pit) · fr abîme (anything infinite, immeasurable, or profound) · mi waro (bottomless or unfathomed depth) · ro abis (hell, bottomless pit) · id neraka (hell, bottomless pit) · sk hlbina (bottomless or unfathomed depth) · cs hlubina (bottomless or unfathomed depth) · cmn 截然不同 (difference) · mi poka tōrere (hell, bottomless pit) · bg про́паст (hell, bottomless pit) · lv bezdibenis (hell, bottomless pit) · ga aibhéis (bottomless or unfathomed depth) · fi sydänkohta (heraldry: center of an escutcheon) · hsb bjezdno (hell, bottomless pit) · mk амбис (hell, bottomless pit) · ia abysso (bottomless or unfathomed depth) · la vorāgō (bottomless or unfathomed depth) · it abisso (hell, bottomless pit) · ru бе́здна (moral depravity, vast intellectual or moral depth) · hi हाविया (hell, bottomless pit) · swb gumbo (hell, bottomless pit) · pl otchłań (bottomless or unfathomed depth) · nl kloof (moral depravity, vast intellectual or moral depth) · hi अतल (hell, bottomless pit) · sh bèzdan (bottomless or unfathomed depth) · hi वितल (hell, bottomless pit) · ro adânc (bottomless or unfathomed depth) · grc ἄβυσσος (hell, bottomless pit) · sh бѐздан (bottomless or unfathomed depth) · ko 심연 (hell, bottomless pit) · ru бе́здна (hell, bottomless pit) · ar هَاوِيَة (hell, bottomless pit) · la barāthrum (hell, bottomless pit) · ba упҡын (bottomless or unfathomed depth) · no avgrunn (moral depravity, vast intellectual or moral depth) · fi kurimus (impending catastrophe) · lt bedugnė (hell, bottomless pit) · mi poka tōrere (bottomless or unfathomed depth) · ka ქვესკნელი (hell, bottomless pit) · fr précipice (bottomless or unfathomed depth) · bg бе́здна (bottomless or unfathomed depth) · ig mgbùlùgùdù (bottomless or unfathomed depth) · eo abismo (bottomless or unfathomed depth) · it abisso (moral depravity, vast intellectual or moral depth) · fi kuilu (hell, bottomless pit) · oc abisme (bottomless or unfathomed depth) · fr abîme (heraldry: center of an escutcheon) · fr abysse (bottomless or unfathomed depth) · sh бѐздан (hell, bottomless pit) · ru про́пасть (bottomless or unfathomed depth) · uk бездна (hell, bottomless pit) · nb avgrunn (hell, bottomless pit) · fi rappio (moral depravity, vast intellectual or moral depth) · ka უფსკრული (bottomless or unfathomed depth) · ru про́рва (anything infinite, immeasurable, or profound) · sv djup (bottomless or unfathomed depth) · sv bråddjup (bottomless or unfathomed depth) · ro hău (bottomless or unfathomed depth) · cmn 深淵 /深渊 (moral depravity, vast intellectual or moral depth) · la profundum (anything infinite, immeasurable, or profound) · sh bèzdan (hell, bottomless pit) · ang neowolnes (hell, bottomless pit) · so qar (hell, bottomless pit) · mk бездна (hell, bottomless pit) · el άβυσσος (bottomless or unfathomed depth) · pt abisso (hell, bottomless pit) · uk пучи́на (bottomless or unfathomed depth) · ro abis (bottomless or unfathomed depth) · bg про́паст (bottomless or unfathomed depth) · be прадонне (hell, bottomless pit) · no avgrunn (bottomless or unfathomed depth) · ru про́пасть (impending catastrophe) · pl czeluść (hell, bottomless pit) · pt abismo (moral depravity, vast intellectual or moral depth) · fr gouffre (bottomless or unfathomed depth) · lt bedùgnė (bottomless or unfathomed depth) · de Hölle (hell, bottomless pit) · es abismo (bottomless or unfathomed depth) · sk priepasť (hell, bottomless pit) · grc ἄβυσσος (bottomless or unfathomed depth) · sl brezno (bottomless or unfathomed depth) · sv hjärtplats (heraldry: center of an escutcheon) · fr abîme (bottomless or unfathomed depth) · ru бе́здна (bottomless or unfathomed depth) · ro prăpastie (bottomless or unfathomed depth) · eo abismo (hell, bottomless pit) · hi अथाह (hell, bottomless pit) · pl przepaść (hell, bottomless pit) · be бе́здань (hell, bottomless pit) · de Abgrund (moral depravity, vast intellectual or moral depth) · pl otchłań (hell, bottomless pit) · sw kuzimu (hell, bottomless pit) · ka უფსკრული (hell, bottomless pit) · uk безо́дня (hell, bottomless pit) · hu szakadék (bottomless or unfathomed depth) · yi תּהום (bottomless or unfathomed depth) · el άβυσσος (hell, bottomless pit) · cmn 深淵 /深渊 (bottomless or unfathomed depth) · nl afgrond (bottomless or unfathomed depth) · uk прі́рва (bottomless or unfathomed depth) · el τάρταρα (hell, bottomless pit) · cmn 鴻溝 /鸿沟 (difference) · ro adâncime (bottomless or unfathomed depth) · sw shimo (hell, bottomless pit) · pl otchłań (moral depravity, vast intellectual or moral depth) · de Abgrund (hell, bottomless pit) · got 𐌰𐍆𐌲𐍂𐌿𐌽𐌳𐌹𐌸𐌰 (hell, bottomless pit) · ca abisme (hell, bottomless pit) · ar هَاوِيَة (bottomless or unfathomed depth) · fr abîme (hell, bottomless pit) · la abyssus (hell, bottomless pit) · la profundum (bottomless or unfathomed depth) · ja 深淵 (hell, bottomless pit) · qu thuñi (impending catastrophe) · ang neowolnes (bottomless or unfathomed depth) · oc abisme (hell, bottomless pit) · pt abismo (bottomless or unfathomed depth) · sh pònor (bottomless or unfathomed depth) · he תהום (hell, bottomless pit) · mi tōrere (bottomless or unfathomed depth) · fi syöveri (hell, bottomless pit) · bn হাবিয়া (hell, bottomless pit) · fi syöveri (moral depravity, vast intellectual or moral depth) · cs propast (bottomless or unfathomed depth) · it abisso (bottomless or unfathomed depth) · hi रसातल (hell, bottomless pit) · ja 深淵 (bottomless or unfathomed depth) · fi horna (hell, bottomless pit) · pl przepaść (bottomless or unfathomed depth) · la abyssus (bottomless or unfathomed depth) · ru про́пасть (hell, bottomless pit) · pl przepaść (moral depravity, vast intellectual or moral depth) · ar هُوَّة (bottomless or unfathomed depth) · el άβυσσος (anything infinite, immeasurable, or profound) · fi kuilu (bottomless or unfathomed depth) · cmn 深淵 /深渊 (hell, bottomless pit) · be бяздо́нне (hell, bottomless pit) · uk прі́рва (hell, bottomless pit) · id jurang tanpa dasar (bottomless or unfathomed depth) · hi पाताल (hell, bottomless pit) · ro prăpastie (hell, bottomless pit) · mi tomoau (bottomless or unfathomed depth) · fi syöveri (impending catastrophe) · sq humnerë (hell, bottomless pit) · fi syöveri (anything infinite, immeasurable, or profound) · sga abis (bottomless or unfathomed depth) · ru пучи́на (bottomless or unfathomed depth) · got 𐌰𐍆𐌲𐍂𐌿𐌽𐌳𐌹𐌸𐌰 (bottomless or unfathomed depth)