An archaic or obsolete spelling of 'abyss,' referring to a bottomless pit or an immeasurably deep space.
Middle English variant of 'abyss,' from Old French 'abisme,' ultimately from Greek 'abyssos' (literally 'without bottom'); the spelling varied widely before standardization.
Medieval scribes wrote 'abys,' 'abyss,' and 'abysme' somewhat randomly—our modern word 'abyss' only became the 'correct' spelling after dictionaries standardized English in the 1700s!
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