Related Searches
on Ask.com
Synonyms
zenith - 6 dictionary results
ze⋅nith
[zee-nith or, especially Brit., zen-ith] 
–noun
| 1. | the point on the celestial sphere vertically above a given position or observer. Compare nadir. |
| 2. | a highest point or state; culmination. |
Origin:
1350–1400; ME cenith < ML < OSp zenit, scribal error for zemt < Ar samt road, incorrectly read as senit by medieval scribes (cf. Ar samt ar-rās road above (over) one's head, the opposite of nadir)
1350–1400; ME cenith < ML < OSp zenit, scribal error for zemt < Ar samt road, incorrectly read as senit by medieval scribes (cf. Ar samt ar-rās road above (over) one's head, the opposite of nadir)
Synonyms:
2. apex, summit.
2. apex, summit.
Antonyms:
1, 2. nadir.
1, 2. nadir.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source
|
Link To zenith
| ze·nith (zē'nĭth) n.
[Middle English senith, from Old French cenith, from Medieval Latin, from Arabic samt (ar-ra's), path (over the head), from Latin sēmita, path; see mei-1 in Indo-European roots.] |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Zenith
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.
Cite This Source
Cite This Source
Language Translation for : zenith
Spanish:
cénit,
German:
der Zenit,
Japanese:
天頂
zenith
1387, from O.Fr. cenith (Fr. zénith), from M.L. cenit, senit, bungled scribal transliteration of Arabic samt "road, path," abbreviation of samt ar-ras, lit. "the way over the head." Letter -m- misread as -ni-. The M.L. word may as well be influenced by the rough agreement of the Arabic term with classical L. semita "sidetrack, side path" (notion of "thing going off to the side"), from se- "apart" + *mi-ta-, suffixed zero-grade form of PIE base *mei- "to change" (see mutable).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Cite This Source
| zenith (zē'nĭth) Pronunciation Key
The point on the celestial sphere that is directly above the observer (90 degrees above the celestial horizon). Compare nadir. |
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
zenith
point on the celestial sphere directly above an observer on the Earth. The point 180 opposite the zenith, directly underfoot, is the nadir. Astronomical zenith is defined by gravity; i.e., by sighting up a plumb line. If the line were not deflected by such local irregularities in the Earth's mass as mountains, it would point to the geographic zenith. Because the Earth rotates and is not a perfect sphere, the geocentric zenith is slightly different from the geographic zenith except at the Equator and the poles. Geocentric zenith is the intersection with the celestial sphere of a straight line drawn through the observer's position from the geometric centre of the Earth
Learn more about zenith with a free trial on Britannica.com.
Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
Cite This Source
Cite This Source
Copyright © 2009, Dictionary.com, LLC. All rights reserved.
