Chasm

Jillian Keng

Definition

Noun

1. a deep cleft in the surface of a planet (such as the earth) 

2. a marked division, separation, or difference 

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chasm

Pronunciation

IPA: /ˈkæzəm /

Sample Sentences

Noun

• "It deposited me at the edge of the ocean proper, where the sand bank dropped off into a huge chasm." (page 271)

• There is a chasm between the great and the merely good, and the perception is that nobody is able to jump it. (found on Marriam-Webster)

Etymology

1590s, "deep crack in the earth," from Latin chasma, from Greek khasma "yawning hollow, gulf," related to khaskein "to yawn," and thus to chaos. In English in 17c. often spelled chasma. Figurative use, in reference to a great interruption or wide breach of any kind, is from 1640s. 

Harper, D. (n.d.). Etymology of chasm. Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved April 6, 2024, from https://www.etymonline.com/word/chasm

Translation

Chinese: 斷層, 鴻溝

Korean: 차이, 단절 

Kazakh: шыңы

Russian: пропасть , бездна, разрыв 

French: gouffre, l' abîme, la différence 

Spanish: abismo

German: Kluft 

Turkish: uçurum, boşluk, yarık