abyss

Abyss is a term that designates a bottomless or immeasurably deep space, and it appears across science, religion, philosophy, and culture. The word originates from the Greek abyssos meaning bottomless, formed from a- “without” and byssos “depth.”

In science, the abyss is commonly used to refer to the deepest parts of the oceans. In oceanography the term aligns with the abyssal zone, roughly 3000 to 6000 meters below the surface, with deeper regions called the hadal zone. The abyssal plains, trenches, and canyons host life adapted to perpetual darkness, high pressure, and limited nutrients, and they remain among the least explored areas of Earth.

In theology and philosophy, the abyss appears in Judaic and Christian texts as a place of confinement or the bottomless pit. In the New Testament the Greek term abyssos is used for a dwelling of judgment or for demonic beings. Beyond religious use, the abyss is also a widespread metaphor for the unknown, the boundless, or the depths of human experience in existential and phenomenological thought.

In culture, The Abyss is a 1989 science fiction film directed by James Cameron, notable for its underwater setting and effects. The term appears in literature, music, and games as a setting or symbol representing vastness, danger, or the unknown, reflecting its buoyant association with profound depth and mystery.

See also: abyssal, abyssal zone, bottomless pit, Nietzsche’s concept of gazing into the abyss.