Abîmé

Abîmé is a French term that functions as both the past participle of the verb abîmer and as an adjective meaning damaged, spoiled, or impaired. It is used to describe objects, surfaces, works of art, data, or documents that have suffered harm or deterioration. When used as an adjective, it agrees with the noun in gender and number: un livre abîmé, une porte abîmée, des objets abîmés.

Etymology and sense

The word derives from abîme, meaning abyss, and the verb abîmer, with a figurative sense of causing something to fall into ruin. Over time, the meaning shifted to denote physical or functional damage rather than literal plunging into an abyss.

Usage

Abîmé is common in everyday French, in retail and logistics to indicate damaged goods, in descriptions of deteriorated books or artworks, and in maintenance contexts. Examples include un colis abîmé (damaged parcel) or un appareil abîmé (damaged device). As a past participle in compound tenses with avoir, its agreement with preceding direct objects follows standard French grammar rules; when used as an adjective, it agrees with the noun it modifies.

Related terms

A near synonym is endommagé; other related descriptors include dégradé and altéré, depending on the context. The English equivalent is damaged. Abîmé and abîmer appear in dictionaries and usage guides to describe harm, wear, or injury to objects, materials, or data.