de profundis \dey proh-FOON-dis\,
adverb:
out of the depths (of sorrow, despair, etc.).
Once he spoke to himself in a low voice that shook as if with difficulty dominating sobs that were rising in his throat. "De profundis—" he said.
-- Robert Smythe Hitchens, "The Garden of Allah," 1904
Her letters were written in varying spirits, sometimes cheery, sometimes de profundis.
-- Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu, "Haunted Lives," 1868
De profundis means "out of the depths" in Latin. It is the opening of Latin translation of Psalm 130 which continues "Out of the depths I cry to you." Today the term can be used as a phrase to convey sadness or as an adverb.
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