Abysmalism
/əˈbɪz.məˌlɪz.əm/noun
The quality or condition of being abysmal, or extremely bad.
Did you know?Its core ancestor, Greek ábyssos, was understood as “bottomless,” a concept associated in ancient and biblical writing with primal waters, cosmic depths, and the underworld.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
ábyssos
“Bottomless; unfathomably deep, from a- “without” plus a word associated with depth.”
Late Antiquity
Greek
ábyssos
“The abyss or immeasurable depth, especially in religious and cosmological writing.”
Late Latin
Latin
abyssus
“A bottomless depth, gulf, or abyss.”
Old French
Old French
abisme
“A deep chasm or abyss.”
Middle English
English
abysme
“An abyss, bottomless gulf, or profound depth.”
16th Century
English
abysmal
“Of or resembling an abyss; later, extremely bad.”
Modern English
English
abysmalism
“The state or quality of being abysmal, formed from abysmal plus -ism.”
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