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abysses

Noun
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

Plural of abyss, referring to vast, deep chasms or seemingly bottomless voids; in poetry, it often suggests terror, isolation, or the unknown.

Detailed Definition
An abyss is a deep gulf or immeasurable void, often used figuratively for something vast and unfathomable. Here the plural intensifies the poem’s sense of cosmic depth and uncertainty.
Example
Example in poetry:
“Through abysses unproven / And gulfs beyond thought” makes abysses vast, unknowable depths; “The diver entered the blue abyss” uses a literal oceanic sense; “Between their silences opened an abyss” makes distance emotional; “Abysses of history” can suggest depths that records cannot fully reveal
Additional Notes
“Abysses” is a literary, elevated plural that may be unfamiliar in this exact usage.; Found in the poem, An Astrologer's Song by Rudyard Kipling
Also Known As
chasms voids depths deeps
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