Where does “abysmal” come from?
Abysmal comes from English abysm, from Late Latin abyssimus, from Latin abyssus, from Ancient Greek ἄβυσσος meaning bottomless or unfathomable.
abysmal (English): Pertaining to, or resembling an abyss; extremely...
Definitions
- Pertaining to, or resembling an abyss; extremely...
Ancestry of “abysmal”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | abysm | Hell; the infernal pit; the great deep; the... |
| 2 | Middle English | abime | — |
| 3 | Old French | abisme | Hell |
| 4 | Late Latin | abyssimus | abysmal |
| 5 | Latin | abyssus | an abyss |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | ἄβυσσος | bottomless, boundless; unfathomable; bottomless... |
| 7 | Ancient Greek | ἀ- | The alpha privativum, used to make words that... |
| 8 | Proto-Hellenic | hə- | same; together |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | sm̥- | one; with, together |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | sem- | together, one |