Definition of abysm
: abyss
- the dark backward and abysm of time
- —William Shakespeare
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Examples of abysm in a Sentence
a recurrent dream in which he would fall helplessly into a dark and silent abysm
Origin and Etymology of abysm
borrowed (with later spelling-pronunciation of s) from Anglo-French & Middle French abysme (compare Middle English abyme from Anglo-French abime, abisme), going back to Old French abysme, going back to Vulgar Latin *abismus, alteration of Late Latin abyssus abyss, perhaps via abíss(i)mus, alteration by haplology of abyssíssimus, a superlative derivative from abyssus
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