Definition of "abyss" in English

noun

1. Hell; the bottomless pit; primeval chaos; a confined subterranean ocean.

2. (frequently figurative) A bottomless or unfathomed depth, gulf, or chasm; hence, any deep, immeasurable; any void space.

3. Anything infinite, immeasurable, or profound.

4. Moral depravity; vast intellectual or moral depth.

   • They fell into the abyss of drug addiction.

5. (with article) An impending catastrophic happening.

6. (heraldry) The center of an escutcheon; fess point.

7. (oceanography) The abyssal zone.

8. (figurative) A difference, especially a large difference, between groups.