Where does “abysm” come from?
abysm (English) comes from Middle English abime, from Old French abisme, from Late Latin abyssimus, from Latin abyssus, from Ancient Greek ἄβυσσος, from Ancient Greek ἀ-, from Proto-Hellenic hə-, from Proto-Indo-European sm̥- — together, one.
abysm (English): Hell; the infernal pit; the great deep; the...
Definitions
- Hell; the infernal pit; the great deep; the...
Ancestry of “abysm”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | abime | — |
| 2 | Old French | abisme | Hell |
| 3 | Late Latin | abyssimus | abysmal |
| 4 | Latin | abyssus | an abyss |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | ἄβυσσος | bottomless, boundless; unfathomable; bottomless... |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | ἀ- | The alpha privativum, used to make words that... |
| 7 | Proto-Hellenic | hə- | same; together |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | sm̥- | one; with, together |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | sem- | together, one |