abyssal

adj.

1. Abysmal; unfathomable.
2. Of or relating to the great depths of the oceans.
3. Of or relating to the region of the ocean bottom between the bathyal and hadal zones, from depths of approximately 3,000 to 6,000 meters (10,000 to 20,000 feet).

adjective

Open wide: abysmal, cavernous, gaping, yawning. See wide/narrow.

abysso-

At great depths, over 3000 m below sea level, hence abyssopelagic zone; that part of deep lakes, oceans, or seas characterized by specific forms of plankton and nekton which inhabit open water, and abyssobenthic zone; the bottom of a deep lake, ocean, or sea. An abyssal plain is the deep sea floor with a gradient of less than 1 in 10 000, and formed of abyssal deposits. Abyssal hills are hills of 50-250 m which interrupt the abyssal plain. See benthic.

The word abyssal for a rock has now been replaced by plutonic.

IN BRIEF: adj. - Relating to ocean depths from 2000 to 5000 meters adj. - So deep as to be unmeasurable.

Tutor's tip: Anything that is "abysmal" is extremely bad, while only things that pertain to the lowest depths of the sea are "abyssal."

Note: click on a word meaning below to see its connections and related words.

The adjective has 2 meanings:

Meaning #1: relating to ocean depths from 2000 to 5000 meters
  Pertains to noun: abyssal zone (meaning #1)

Meaning #2: so deep as to be unmeasurable; unfathomable
  Synonym: abysmal

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