Abyss

Abyss A*byss", n. [L. abyssus a bottomless gulf, fr. Gr. ? bottomless; 'a priv. + ? depth, bottom.] 1. A bottomless or unfathomed depth, gulf, or chasm; hence, any deep, immeasurable, and, specifically, hell, or the bottomless pit. [1913 Webster]

Ye powers and spirits of this nethermost abyss. --Milton. [1913 Webster]

The throne is darkness, in the abyss of light. --Dryden. [1913 Webster]

2. Infinite time; a vast intellectual or moral depth. [1913 Webster]

The abysses of metaphysical theology. --Macaulay. [1913 Webster]

In unfathomable abysses of disgrace. --Burke. [1913 Webster]

3. (Her.) The center of an escutcheon. [1913 Webster]

Note: This word, in its leading uses, is associated with the cosmological notions of the Hebrews, having reference to a supposed illimitable mass of waters from which our earth sprung, and beneath whose profound depths the wicked were punished. --Encyc. Brit. [1913 Webster]