Where does “abyss” come from?
Abyss comes from Middle English abissus, from Late Latin abyssus, from Ancient Greek ἄβυσσος, composed of the prefix ἀ- and a root derived from Proto-Indo-European dʰewb-.
abyss (English): Hell; the bottomless pit; primeval chaos; a...
Definitions
- Hell; the bottomless pit; primeval chaos; a...
Ancestry of “abyss”, step by step
abyss traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English abissus
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | abissus | — |
| 2 | Latin | abyssus | an abyss |
| 3 | Ancient Greek | ἄβυσσος | bottomless, boundless; unfathomable; bottomless... |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | ἀ- | The alpha privativum, used to make words that... |
| 5 | Proto-Hellenic | hə- | same; together |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | sm̥- | one; with, together |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | sem- | together, one |
via Late Latin abyssus
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Late Latin | abyssus | a bottomless gulf; an abyss |