abyss vs gulf

abyss

noun
  • A difference, especially a large difference, between groups. 

  • Moral depravity; vast intellectual or moral depth. 

  • The abyssal zone. 

  • An impending catastrophic happening. 

  • A bottomless or unfathomed depth, gulf, or chasm; hence, any deep, immeasurable; any void space. 

  • Anything infinite, immeasurable, or profound. 

  • The center of an escutcheon. 

  • Hell; the bottomless pit; primeval chaos; a confined subterranean ocean. 

gulf

noun
  • A difference, especially a large difference, between groups. 

  • A portion of an ocean or sea extending into the land; a partially landlocked sea 

  • The bottom part of a list of those awarded a degree, for those who have only just passed. 

  • That which swallows irretrievably; a whirlpool; a sucking eddy. 

  • A hollow place in the earth; an abyss; a deep chasm or basin. 

  • A large deposit of ore in a lode. 

  • A wide interval or gap; a separating space. 

verb
  • To award a degree to somebody who has only just passed sufficiently. 

How often have the words abyss and gulf occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )