10 results for: nadir
na·dir
Audio Help [ney-der, ney-deer] Pronunciation Key
—Related forms
Audio Help [ney-der, ney-deer] Pronunciation Key –noun
| 1. | Astronomy. the point on the celestial sphere directly beneath a given position or observer and diametrically opposite the zenith. |
| 2. | Astrology. the point of a horoscope opposite the midheaven: the cusp of the fourth house. |
| 3. | the lowest point; point of greatest adversity or despair. |
[Origin: 1350–1400; ME ≪ Ar naẓīr over against, opposite to (the zenith)
]
] —Related forms
na·dir·al, adjective
—Synonyms 3. bottom, floor, foot, depths.
| Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006. |
nadir
To learn more about nadir visit Britannica.com
| © 2008 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. |
| na·dir
Audio Help (nā'dər, -dîr') Pronunciation Key
n.
[Middle English, from Medieval Latin, from Arabic naẓīr (as-samt), opposite (the zenith), from naẓara, to see, watch; see n r in Semitic roots.]
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| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
nadir
c.1391, in astronomical sense, from M.L. nadir, from Arabic nazir "opposite to," in nazir as-samt, lit. "opposite of the zenith," from nazir "opposite" + as-samt "zenith" (see zenith). Transf. sense of "lowest point (of anything)" is first recorded 1793.
| Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper |
| nadir | |
noun | |
| 1. | an extreme state of adversity; the lowest point of anything |
| 2. | the point below the observer that is directly opposite the zenith on the imaginary sphere against which celestial bodies appear to be projected [ant: zenith] |
| WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University. |
| nadir
Audio Help (nā'dər) Pronunciation Key
The point on the celestial sphere that is directly below the observer (90 degrees below the celestial horizon). Compare zenith. |
| The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2002 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
Nadir
Na"dir\, n. [F., Sp., & It. nadir; all fr. Ar. nas[=i]ru's samt nadir, prop., the point opposite the zenith (as samt), in which nas[=i]r means alike, corresponding to. Cf. Azimuth, Zenith.]1. That point of the heavens, or lower hemisphere, directly opposite the zenith; the inferior pole of the horizon; the point of the celestial sphere directly under the place where we stand. 2. The lowest point; the time of greatest depression. The seventh century is the nadir of the human mind in Europe. --Hallam. Nadir of the sun (Astron.), the axis of the conical shadow projected by the earth. --Crabb.| Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc. |
nadir
Ze"nith\ (?; 277), n. [OE. senyth, OF. cenith, F. z['e]nith, Sp. zenit, cenit, abbrev. fr. Ar. samt-urras way of the head, vertical place; samt way, path + al the + ras head. Cf. Azimuth.]1. That point in the visible celestial hemisphere which is vertical to the spectator; the point of the heavens directly overhead; -- opposed to nadir. From morn To noon he fell, from noon to dewy eve, A summer's day; and with the setting sun Dropped from the zenith, like a falling star. --Milton. 2. hence, figuratively, the point of culmination; the greatest height; the height of success or prosperity. I find my zenith doth depend upon A most auspicious star. --Shak. This dead of midnight is the noon of thought, And wisdom mounts her zenith with the stars. --Mrs. Barbauld. It was during those civil troubles . . . this aspiring family reached the zenith. --Macaulay. Zenith distance. (Astron.) See under Distance. Zenith sector. (Astron.) See Sector, 3. Zenith telescope (Geodesy), a telescope specially designed for determining the latitude by means of any two stars which pass the meridian about the same time, and at nearly equal distances from the zenith, but on opposite sides of it. It turns both on a vertical and a horizontal axis, is provided with a graduated vertical semicircle, and a level for setting it to a given zenith distance, and with a micrometer for measuring the difference of the zenith distances of the two stars.| Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc. |
nadir
nadir was Word of the Day on January 6, 2000.
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NADIR
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r in Semitic roots.]













