abyss
UK[əˈbɪs]US[əˈbɪs]
n
A very deep wide space or hole that seems to have no bottom.
n
A frightening or threatening situation that seems to have no end or solution.
Morpheme Breakdown
a
byss
a
without
byss
deep
Etymology
The word 'abyss' originates from the Late Latin abyssus, which was borrowed from the Greek ábyssos. The Greek term is a compound of the prefix a-, meaning "without," and byssós, a poetic word for "bottom" or "depth." Thus, its literal meaning is "bottomless." This concept was used in ancient cosmologies to describe the primal, unfathomable deep, such as the chaotic sea or the underworld. Over time, it evolved in English to signify any immeasurably profound depth, whether physical, like a deep chasm, or metaphorical, like an overwhelming despair.
Analysis
Structure: a (without) + byss (deep)
a- (Greek origin, a prefix meaning "without"); byss- (from Greek byssos, meaning "bottom, depth").
Examples
The submarine dove into the dark abyss of the ocean trench.
The country stood on the brink of an economic abyss.
In the story, the hero peered into the abyss and felt a profound sense of dread.