Abyss Meaning
/əˈbɪs/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounHell; the bottomless pit; primeval chaos; a confined subterranean ocean.
nounA bottomless or unfathomed depth, gulf, or chasm; hence, any deep, immeasurable; any void space.
Sentence Examples
One step further, and you will fall into an abyss.
She was in an abyss of despair.
CEFR Practice Quiz
From the cliff's edge, they stared into the dark ____ that plunged thousands of feet below.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
He felt like he was staring into a bottomless ____ of despair.
Word Origin & History
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.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"'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:
"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:
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
From the cliff's edge, they stared into the dark ____ that plunged thousands of feet below.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
He felt like he was staring into a bottomless ____ of despair.