Abysm
/əˈbɪzəm/noun
A bottomless depth or abyss; a profound void.
Did you know?In older English, **abysm** was the common form, and **abyss** was originally the learned spelling; both descend from Greek *ábyssos*, meaning “bottomless,” a word used for the underworld-like depths.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*bʰew-
“to be, to become, to grow”
Ancient Greek
Greek
ábyssos
“bottomless; the deep, the unfathomable abyss”
Late Latin
Latin
abyssus
“the deep, the bottomless pit”
Old French
Old French
abisme
“a deep gulf, chasm, or abyss”
Middle English
English
abisme
“a bottomless gulf or profound depth”
Modern English
English
abysm
“a deep or seemingly bottomless space or void”