Abysm

Pronunciation

• RP IPA: /əˈbɪz.mÌ©/
• US IPA: /əˈbɪz.mÌ©/
• Rhymes: -ɪzÉ™m

Origin

From Middle English abime, from Old French abisme from Late Latin *abyssimus, a superlative of abyssus ("bottomless pit"), from Ancient Greek ἄβυσσος. Cognate to French abîme. See also abyss.

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Full definition of abysm

Noun

1. (archaic, poetic) Hell; the infernal pit; the great deep; the primal chaos. First attested between 1150 and 1350.
2. (now chiefly literary) An abyss; a gulf, a chasm, a very deep hole. First attested in the late 15th century.
• 1623, Shakespeare, Antony and Cleopatra, III, xiii:The abysm of hell.