abyss

views updated May 14 2018

a·byss / əˈbis/ • n. a deep or seemingly bottomless chasm: a rope led down into the dark abyss.. ∎ fig. a wide or profound difference between people: the abyss between the two nations. ∎ fig. the regions of hell conceived of as a bottomless pit.

The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English

abyss

views updated May 23 2018

abyss XVI. — late L. abyssus — Gr. ábussos unfathomable (sb. use).

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology T. F. HOAD

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abyss

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