abyssal

First attested in the 1690s. From Medieval Latin abyssalis,^[1][2] from Latin abyssus (“abyss”) + -alis (“-al”).^[3] Equivalent to abyss +‎ -al.

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /əˈbɪs.l̩/
• (US) IPA^(key): /əˈbɪs.l̩/

• Audio (US):

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• Rhymes: -ɪsəl

abyssal (not comparable)

1. (archaic) Belonging to, or resembling, an abyss; unfathomable. [First attested in the mid 17^th century.]^[1]
3. (geography) Of or belonging to the ocean depths, especially below 2000 metres (6500 ft): abyssal zone. [First attested in the mid 19^th century.]^[1]
4. (geology) Pertaining to or occurring at excessive depths in the earth's crust; plutonic. [First attested in the late 19^th century.]^[1]

• benthic

• sublittoral
• bathyal
• hadal

• abysmal
• byssal

• “abyssal”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.

From Late Latin abyssālis.

• IPA^(key): /a.bi.sal/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Audio (Switzerland):

  (file)

abyssal (feminine abyssale, masculine plural abyssaux, feminine plural abyssales)

1. abyssal

• gigantisme abyssal
• plaine abyssale

• “abyssal”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.