abyssal
American Heritage Dictionary:
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a·bys·sal
(ə-bĭs'əl) 
adj.
adj.
- Abysmal; unfathomable.
- Of or relating to the great depths of the oceans.
- 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).
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abyssal
Roget's Thesaurus:
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abyssal
Oxford Dictionary of Geography:
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abyssal
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The word abyssal for a rock has now been replaced by plutonic.
Word Tutor:
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abyssal
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."
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categories related to 'abyssal'
- Earth’s Atmosphere and Topographic Features - abyssal: (adj) pertaining to dark, cold, lifeless ocean depths
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American Heritage Dictionary
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Roget's Thesaurus
Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition by the Editors of the American Heritage® Dictionary Copyright © 1995 byHoughton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Oxford Dictionary of Geography
A Dictionary of Geography. Copyright © Susan Mayhew 1992, 1997, 2004. All rights reserved.
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Mentioned in
abyssal-benthic
(oceanography)
abyssal floor
(geology)
abyssopelagic
(oceanography)
abyssal gap
(geology)
Coronatae
(invertebrate zoology)
» More