abyss
English · Thesaurus
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abyss
- /əˈbɪs/ UK
- /əˈbɪs/ US
- /æˈbɪs/ US
Rhymes with -ɪs
Where it comes from
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.
noun abysses · abysm · abyssus · abime
- 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!'
- 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.
- Anything infinite, immeasurable, or profound.
- Moral depravity; vast intellectual or moral depth. They fell into the abyss of drug addiction.
- An impending catastrophic happening.
- The center of an escutcheon; fess point.
- The abyssal zone.
-
A difference, especially a large difference, between groups.
Similar: gulf
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: abysm, chasm, gulf, sinkhole, cave, cliff, brink, cesspool, rand, drain, ditch, hole, pit, trough, rift, midnight
Translations
Every language
noun hell, bottomless pit
| Español | abismo |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 심연 simyeon |
| 日本語 | 深淵 shin'en, 淵 fuchi |
| 中文 | 深淵 /深渊 shēnyuān |
| हिन्दी | वितल vital, अतल atal, अथाह athāh, हाविया hāviyā, पाताल pātāl, रसातल rasātal |
| Kiswahili | shimo, kuzimu |
| Português | abismo, abisso |
| Français | abîme |
| Deutsch | Abgrund, Hölle |
| Italiano | abisso |
| Ελληνικά | άβυσσος ávyssos, τάρταρα tártara |
| Română | abis, prăpastie |
| Русский | про́пасть própastʹ, бе́здна bézdna |
| العربية | هَاوِيَة hāwiya |
| עברית | תהום t'hóm |
noun bottomless or unfathomed depth
| Español | abismo, sima |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 深淵 shin'en |
| 中文 | 深淵 /深渊 shēnyuān |
| Português | abismo |
| Français | précipice, abysse, abîme, gouffre |
| Deutsch | Abgrund |
| Italiano | abisso |
| Ελληνικά | άβυσσος ávyssos |
| Română | abis, adânc, adâncime, prăpastie, hău |
| Русский | бе́здна bézdna, про́пасть própastʹ, пучи́на pučína |
| العربية | هَاوِيَة hāwiya, هُوَّة huwwa |
noun anything infinite, immeasurable, or profound
| Français | abîme |
|---|---|
| Ελληνικά | άβυσσος ávyssos |
| Русский | про́рва prórva |
Talk about this word "abyss." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/abyss. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. abyss. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/abyss "abyss." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/abyss.Cite this
@misc{abyss_2026,
title = {abyss},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/abyss},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
