ˈkazəm noun
( -s )
Etymology: Latin chasma, from Greek; akin to Latin hiare to gape, yawn — more at yawn
1.
a. : a deep opening (as in the earth) : a narrow deep steep-walled valley, gorge, or canyon : a yawning abyss : a deep gap impassable by ordinary means
the brink of a precipice, of a chasm in the earth over two hundred feet deep, the sides sheer cliffs — Willa Cather
b. : cleft , fissure , ravine
c. : blank , omission , hiatus
if I leave anywhere a chasm in my narrative, tell me — Sheridan Le Fanu
2. : a marked especially irreconcilable division, separation, or difference
our only way of closing the chasm between the magnificent richness of human potentiality and the paltriness of human achievement — Paul Pickrel
especially : one due to a marked opposition of attitude, opinion, belief, or loyalty
trade between the two countries had attained a considerable volume despite the … political chasm between them — Collier's Year Book
the rifts that seemed to cleave soldier from civilian, in habit and state of mind, tempting the former to make the chasm permanent — Dixon Wecter