Abyssal

[Dr. Goodword]

• abyssal •

Pronunciation: ê-bi-sêl • Hear it!

Part of Speech: Adjective

Meaning: 1. Related to the depths of seas or oceans. 2. Unfathomable, ostensibly bottomless; very, very, deep.

Notes: Today's Good Word is the adjective for abyss, which has a rarely used synonym, abysm. While the adjective for abyss is seldom used, abysm itself is rare, but its adjective, abysmal, is quite common with a meaning unrelated to its noun, "very, very bad".

In Play: This word is most often used in referring to the depths of the ocean: "The abyssal zone has revealed many new organisms and unexplored ecosystems." The second meaning of abyssal is metaphorical: "Take Kay Largo to a restaurant with an all-you-can-eat buffet; she has an abyssal stomach."

Word History: In Middle English today's word was abissus, borrowed from Latin abyssus, itself borrowed from Greek abyssos "bottomless", comprising a- "without" + byssos "sea depths, bottom". Middle English also had a word abime from Old French abisme with a silent S. Its origin may also be traced back to Latin abyssus. The M is from Vulgar (street) Latin abissimus, that is, abissus with the suffix -ismus "ism", readjusted slightly. Byssos seems related to bathos "depth" and bathys "deep", as in bathysphere "deep diving apparatus", bathyphobia "fear of depths", and bathometer "guage for measuring depths". Bathroom, bathrobe, and bathtub are unrelated words based on bath, which goes back to a root referring to warmth. (Thank you Mary Jane Stoneburg, long-time editor of the Good Word series, for your enlightened tenure as editor and for today's fascinating Good Word.)

[Perry Lassiter]

Interesting connections: abyss, abysmal, and bathos. Also the related words like abyssal I never knew.

[Slava]

Great sentence I just read and had to share: "Even calling the law “unconstitutional” is like calling the Marianas Trench “deep”: It’s true, but it fails to capture the abysmal quality of the thing."

[David Myer]

So the writer of your comment on the Marianas Trench, Slava, has used the wrong word. When specifically referring to deep ocean waters, the word as far as I can make out from this word-of-the-day commentary, should be abyssal. Sounds like an author showing off their knowledge of the origins of the word. The Trench is surely abyssal, not abysmal?

[Slava]

I thought of that and double-checked. Abysmal is also used to mean abyssal. M-W even specifically says it can mean abyssal.

As far as I can tell, it doesn't go both ways. Abyssal can't be used in an abysmal sense.