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Abyssal
//əˈbɪs.l̩// adj
Definitions
Adjective
- 1 Belonging to, or resembling, an abyss; unfathomable. archaic, not-comparable
- 2 Of or belonging to the ocean depths, especially below 2000 metres (6500 ft): abyssal zone. not-comparable
"This "abyssal" life, typically in the form of strange tube-worms and microbes, is almost completely unknown to science."
- 3 Pertaining to or occurring at excessive depths in the earth's crust; plutonic. not-comparable
- 4 In the utter depths of despair; gloomy. figuratively, not-comparable
"In an attempt to avoid sliding into incorrigible despair, I abandon such abyssal and existential pondering and investigate the artist behind the work."
Adjective
- 1 resembling an abyss in depth; so deep as to be unmeasurable wordnet
- 2 relating to ocean depths from 2000 to 5000 meters wordnet
Etymology
First attested in the 1690s. From Medieval Latin abyssalis, from Latin abyssus (“abyss”) + -alis (“-al”). Equivalent to abyss + -al.
See also for "abyssal"
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