'barathron' originates from Ancient Greek, specifically the word 'βάραθρον' ('barathron'), where the root referred to a 'deep pit' or 'chasm'.

'barathron' passed into Latin as 'barathrum' and via Medieval/Modern Latin and scholarly use entered English with meanings preserved from the Greek; it appears in English texts as a learned or poetic term for an abyss or pit.

Initially, it meant 'deep pit' or 'gorge' (literal sense), but over time it also acquired a figurative sense of a 'ruinous' or 'irretrievable' abyss, used metaphorically.