Word of the Day: Abyss
An abyss [ə-bĭs'] is a deep hole, so deep as to seem bottomless. “The Abyss” refers to the infernal regions that include the abode of the dead, the home of evil powers, and the place of punishment of the wicked. The adjective is abysmal.
If you stare into the Abyss long enough the Abyss stares back at you.” - Friedrich Nietzsche
“We must be getting close,” Ms. Wicks said, tying into an anchor at the top of the 11th pitch. A dizzying abyss, wide and windy, expanded out, up, down and side to side from the climbers’ stance. (NY Times)
Maeve on June 20, 2008 
Subscribe to our RSS Feed
Related Articles
Bookmark
4 Responses to “Word of the Day: Abyss”
Got something to say?
Sponsors
Popular Articles
- 6 Foreign Expressions You Should Know
- The Impotence of Proofreading
- Let the Word Do the Work
- 10 Rules for Writing Numbers and Numerals
- 8 Proofreading Tips and Techniques
- 40 Yiddish Words You Should Know
- TV's War on "Me" and "I"
- 34 Writing Tips That Will Make You a Better Writer
- Gross Writing Errors on the Web
- Creative Writing 101
- Latin Words and Expressions
- Usage That Provokes “Blackboard Moments”
- 44 Resume Writing Tips
Recent Articles
- Complacent, Complaisant
- Say What You Mean
- A Novel IS Fiction
- English Grammar 101: All You Need to Know
- Short Story Competition: Sixth Batch Is Open for Voting!
- Word of the Day: Bourgeois
- The Scandinavian Connection
- Five Reasons Why Blogging Leads to Writing Jobs
- How to Address Your Elders, Your Doctor, Young Children… and Your CEO
- Short Story Competition: Fifth Batch Is Open for Voting!
Thank you for the new word!
But would you please explain it alittle more? I really didn’t get it, like
can I use it to describe something deep ??
I’m not a native speaker, so ya I need help
Ahh, if only I could find a way to dredge my thoughts up from the dark abyss they so readily seek….
or
“Help! My blog is stuck; unnoticed in the endless abyss of the internet! What can I do?”
Hmm…maybe I can talk you into doing a “Punctuation of the Day” too. So many rules…so little understanding.
Abyss is an awesome word and fun to play around with though.
Thanks for the word of the day. More often than not you end up unintentionally giving me a prompt as well, and it always makes me think!
~Connie
Nova,
Connie’s examples have probably given you an idea of how the word can be used in a figurative sense.
The word “abyss” carries the idea of depth so immense that things dropped into it would be lost forever so you couldn’t use it as a synonym for plain old “hole” unless you were trying to be humorous.
@ Maeve :nods: Yes, I definitely meant it as an attempt at humor, not in a literal sense. Sometimes my sense of humor is downright abysmal.