abyssal
EnglishEdit
EtymologyEdit
First attested in the 1690s. From Medieval Latin abyssalis,[1][2] from Latin abyssus (“abyss”) + -alis (“-al”).[3] Equivalent to abyss + -al.
PronunciationEdit
AdjectiveEdit
abyssal (not comparable)
- (archaic) Belonging to, or resembling, an abyss; unfathomable. [First attested in the mid 17th century.][1]
- (geography) Of or belonging to the ocean depths, especially below 2000 metres (6500 ft): abyssal zone. [First attested in the mid 19th century.][1]
- (geology) Pertaining to or occurring at excessive depths in the earth's crust; plutonic. [First attested in the late 19th century.][1]
Derived termsEdit
TranslationsEdit
belonging to, or resembling, an abyss; unfathomable
|
|
belonging to the ocean depths
|
|
See alsoEdit
ReferencesEdit
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 “abyssal” in Lesley Brown, editor-in-chief; William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, editors, The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles, 5th edition, Oxford; New York, N.Y.: Oxford University Press, 2002, →ISBN, page 11.
- ^ Laurence Urdang (editor), The Random House College Dictionary (Random House, 1984 [1975], →ISBN), page 7
- ^ Philip Babcock Gove (editor), Webster's Third International Dictionary of the English Language, Unabridged (G. & C. Merriam Co., 1976 [1909], →ISBN), page 9
- abyssal in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
FrenchEdit
EtymologyEdit
From Late Latin abyssalis.
PronunciationEdit
AdjectiveEdit
abyssal (feminine singular abyssale, masculine plural abyssaux, feminine plural abyssales)
Derived termsEdit
Further readingEdit
- “abyssal” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).