zenith
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Pronunciation
- IPA: /ˈzɛnɪθ/ (UK); /ˈziːnɪθ/ (US)[1]
Etymology
It is inherited from Middle English cenyth,[2] borrowed from Old French cenith,[3][4] from Medieval Latin cenit,[3][2][4] via Old Spanish zenit,[2][5] a scribal misreading of Arabic samt “road, path”, short for samt ar-raʾs “the way over the head”.[3][2][4][5] The letter m was misread as ni.[4][5]
Earliest recorded meaning
The point of the sky directly overhead (1387).[6][4]
Semantic evolution
By 1592 the word was used loosely for the upper part of the sky or the highest point reached by a heavenly body,[6] and from 1610 figuratively for the highest point or state of anything.[6] It is the opposite of nadir.[5][2][1]
Timeline
- 1387 – the point of the sky directly overhead.[6]
- 1592 – the upper sky; the highest point of a heavenly body.[6]
- 1610 – figurative, the highest point or state.[6]
- 1885 – magnetic zenith.[6]
Modern meaning
Noun
- The highest point; the peak.
- (astronomy) The point of the celestial sphere directly above the observer, opposite the nadir.
- The highest point in the sky reached by a celestial body.
Related words
- azimuth
- nadir
Usage notes
Random House lists apex and summit as synonyms, and nadir as the antonym.[5]
References
- ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
- ^ a b c d e Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
- ^ a b c The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
- ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
- ^ a b c d e Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
- ^ a b c d e f g Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press