English → Latin
“abyss” in Latin
īnfīnītusboundless, unlimited, endless; infinitevorāgōabyss, chasm, whirlpool, deep hole, pitgurgeswhirlpool, eddy; gulf; abyssbarathrumchasm, pit; abyss, the lower world, hell; maw, bellyprofundusdeep, profound; intense, extreme, profound; immoderate; boundless, vast; bottomlesspestisdisease, plague, pestilence, infection; a pest; destruction, ruin, deathperniciēsruin, destruction; disaster, calamity; bane, pest
The English word abyss itself goes back to Latin abyssus.
Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864
abyss
infinita or immensa altitudo: vorago (abyss; chasm): gurges (whirlpool): barathrum (is a poetical expression): profundum (with or without maris; abyss of the sea).
Figuratively, manifest overwhelming danger; vorago; pestis, pernicies. To plunge into an abyss of danger, ad pestem ante oculos positam proficisci; in praeceps ruere.
Quick answer
- What is the Latin word for abyss?
- The usual Latin words for “abyss” are īnfīnītus, vorāgō, gurges; also barathrum, profundus, pestis. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.
Entry from J. E. Riddle & T. K. Arnold, A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon (rev. C. Anthon, New York: Harper, 1864), digitised by Fergus J. P. Walsh, CC BY-SA 4.0; Latin markup adapted by latindictionary.co.