Word of the Day

Thursday, June 27, 2002

nadir

\NAY-dir; nay-DIR\ , noun;

[Astronomy]. The point of the celestial sphere directly opposite the zenith and directly below the observer.

The lowest point; the time of greatest depression or adversity.

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Quotes:

Exploitation reached a nadir in the 1920s, when high government officials were implicated in a flourishing international slave trade and domestic forced labor.

-- Bill Berkeley, The Graves Are Not Yet Full

At the nadir of every recession, business pages fill up with stories of belt-tightening families who move to Vermont and buy their food in bulk.

-- Peter T. Kilborn, "Splurge", New York Times, June 21, 1998

Origin:

Nadir is derived from Arabic nazir, "opposite."