abyss

• n. 深渊；深邃，无底洞，地狱

前缀a-, 没有。词根byss, 底，词源同base, 底，低下。

abyss

abyss: [16] English borrowed abyss from late Latin abyssus, which in turn derived from Greek ábussos. This was an adjective meaning ‘bottomless’, from a- ‘not’ and bussós ‘bottom’, a dialectal variant of buthós (which is related to bathys ‘deep’, the source of English bathyscape). In Greek the adjective was used in the phrase ábussos limnē ‘bottomless lake’, but only the adjective was borrowed into Latin, bringing with it the meaning of the noun as well.

In medieval times, a variant form arose in Latin – abysmus. It incorporated the Greek suffix -ismós (English -ism). It is the source of French abîme, and was borrowed into English in the 13th century as abysm (whence the 19th-century derivative abysmal). It began to be ousted by abyss in the 16th century, however, and now has a distinctly archaic air.

abyss (n.)

late 14c., earlier abime (c. 1300, from a form in Old French), from Late Latin abyssus "bottomless pit," from Greek abyssos (limne) "bottomless (pool)," from a- "without" (see a- (2)) + byssos "bottom," possibly related to bathos "depth."

1. The country was on the brink of an abyss.

国家岌岌可危。

来自柯林斯例句

2. Ahead of them was a gaping abyss.

他们面前是一个巨大的深渊。

来自《权威词典》

3. The people are plunged into an abyss of misery.

涂炭生灵.

来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

4. He is plunging into an abyss of despair.

他陷入了绝望的深渊.

来自《简明英汉词典》

5. The old society was an abyss of darkness.

旧社会暗无天日.

来自《现代汉英综合大词典》