| 释义 |
abyss
\əˈbis also aˈ-\ noun
(-es)
Etymology: alteration of Middle English abissus, from Late Latin abyssus, from Greek abyssos, from abyssos, adjective, bottomless, from a- a- (II) + byssos depth, from bythos deep; akin to Greek bathys deep — more at bathy-
1. : the bottomless gulf, pit, or chaos of the old cosmogonies: as
a. : a confined subterranean body of water that according to the Old Testament was once an ocean surrounding the earth
b. : the infernal regions including the abode of the dead and the place of punishment of the wicked : the abode of the evil powers : hell
c. : the formless chaos out of which the earth and the heavens were created
2.
a. : any vastly or immeasurably deep gulf or great space
< a road running close to the abyss >
< the abysses of sky and sea — Joseph Conrad >
< the abyss … between the artist and the public — Harry Levin >
< across the abyss of years >
b. : intellectual or spiritual profundity
< in the abyss of his mind he apprehends the world's minuteness — W.L.Sullivan >
: moral depths : a condition of vast moral depravity
< an abyss of dark impulses >
3. : the bottom water of the deep sea — compare abyssal zone |