abîme
See also: abime, abimé, and abîmé
French
Alternative forms
- abime (post-1990 spelling)
- abyme (archaic)
Etymology
Inherited from Old French abisme, inherited from Late Latin *abyssimus, a superlative of Latin abyssus (“bottomless pit”), from Ancient Greek ἄβυσσος (ábussos). Compare Spanish, Portuguese abismo. Doublet of abysse.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /a.bim/
Audio (Paris) (file) Audio (file)
Noun
abîme m (plural abîmes) (traditional spelling)
- abyss, chasm
- bottom of a chasm or valley
- (literary) infiniteness of thought
- (literary) superlative used with various abstraction and qualities; the climax or acme
- (literary) hell
- (heraldry) abyss of a shield, fess point
Usage notes
- Often used as if it was a pluralia tantum.
Derived terms
- abîme de science
Related terms
- abîmer
Further reading
- “abîme”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.
Anagrams
- amibe, iambe, ïambe