abisso

abyss

noun ah-BEES-soh Rare

Origin: From Greek abyssos, 'bottomless', from a- (without) + byssos (bottom).

Also means

chasm

Usage Note

Abisso is used both literally (a deep ocean trench or chasm) and figuratively (an unbridgeable gap or moral void): un abisso di differenze (a world of differences). The phrase essere sull'orlo dell'abisso (to be on the edge of the abyss) is a common idiom for a crisis situation. Plural: abissi.

Examples

"L'abisso del mare non ha ancora rivelato tutti i suoi segreti."

Natural Translation

The abyss of the sea has not yet revealed all its secrets.

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