abaddon
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1 the destroyer (n.) C2 Proficiency Literary Religiona name for the angel of the bottomless pit or a powerful figure of destruction.
the angel of the abyss, often identified with the Greek figure Apollyon, representing ultimate destruction.
ExampleIn the old story, Abaddon rose from the pit to bring ruin to the land.
ExampleThe poet personified death as Abaddon, a relentless force emerging from the depths to claim the souls of the fallen.
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2 hell or the abyss (n.) C2 Proficiency Literary Religiona poetic name for hell or a place of total destruction.
a place of destruction or the bottomless pit of hell; used primarily in poetic or theological contexts.
ExampleThe lost souls were said to be trapped forever in the dark depths of Abaddon.
ExampleMilton’s verse describes the descent into Abaddon, portraying it as a realm of eternal shadow and profound despair.
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3 an informer (n.) C2 Proficiency British English Archaic Slanga criminal who tells the police about other criminals.
an informer or 'snitch' within the criminal underworld who provides information to the authorities.
ExampleThe gang suspected he was an Abaddon and refused to speak in his presence.
ExampleIn the nineteenth-century underworld, being branded an Abaddon was a death sentence for any thief caught talking to the constabulary.
UsageThis sense is historical and no longer used in modern conversation.
From Middle English Abadon, Abbadon, Labadon, Laabadon, from Late Latin Abaddōn, from Ancient Greek Ᾰ̓βᾰδδών (Ăbăddṓn), from Biblical Hebrew אֲבַדּוֹן (ʔăḇaddōn, “destruction; ruin”), from אבד (ʾāḇaḏ, “to be lost, to perish”).