adj. 1 colloq. extremely bad (abysmal weather; the standard is abysmal). 2 profound, utter (abysmal ignorance). abysmally adv.
[ archaic or poet. abysm = ABYSS, f. OF abi(s)me f. med.L abysmus ]
ABYSMAL
Meaning of ABYSMAL in English
Concise Oxford English dictionary. Краткий оксфордский словарь английского языка. 2012