Etymograph

English

abyssus

Abyssus comes from Latin abyssus ‘an abyss’, from Ancient Greek ἄβῠσσος ‘bottomless pit’, and ultimately from βυθός ‘depth’.

  1. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEβυθόςbuthós‘depth’
  2. Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEἄβῠσσοςábŭssos‘bottomless pit’
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEabyssus‘an abyss’
  4. Englishearliest quotation 1613same form

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Earlier history uncertain.

Lineage

  1. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEβυθόςbuthós‘depth’
  2. Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEἄβῠσσοςábŭssos‘bottomless pit’
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEabyssus‘an abyss’
  4. Englishearliest quotation 1613same form

Earliest quotation: 1613, Lancelot Andrewes, A Sermon Preached before the King’s Maiestie, at White-hall : “He was, when there were yet no Abyssi, no…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *dʰewb-

dope, dimple, dop, 3 more

Today it means

noun —

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Ancient Greek βυθός / abyssus

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