abysmal
/əˈbɪzməl/
adjective
Origin
Ancient Greek
abussos — bottomless
Overview
Meaning Now
- extremely bad; appalling
- very deep or bottomless
Literal older meaning
bottomless
Language path
Ancient Greek → Late Latin → Old French → English
Earliest form
abysmal
Earliest period
17th century
Journey
The word originates from the Greek 'abussos', composed of the privative prefix 'a-' (without) and 'bussos' (bottom). Originally used in theological contexts to describe the 'deep' or the infernal pit, it gradually entered secular language in the 17th century to describe literal unfathomable depths before acquiring its modern figurative sense of quality in the 19th century.
Evolution
- Ancient Greek
abussos
“bottomless”
- Late Latin
abyssus
“a deep pit; an unfathomable depth”
Ecclesiastical usage referring to the underworld.
- Middle English
abisme
“a deep chasm”
Adopted from Old French.
- 17th Century English
abysmal
“bottomless or unfathomable”
Formation of the adjective using the suffix -al.
- 19th Century English
abysmal
“extremely bad”
Connections
Word parts
abyss
root
bottomless pit
-al
suffix
pertaining to
Related across languages
French
abîme
chasm
Spanish
abismo
abyss
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External references use DefinedTerm semantics.