zenith

noun ze·nith \ ˈzē-nəth , Canadian also and British usually ˈze-nəth , -nith \

Definition of zenith

1 :the point of the celestial sphere that is directly opposite the nadir and vertically above the observer — see azimuth illustration

2 :the highest point reached in the heavens by a celestial body

3 :culminating point :acme

at the zenith of his powers
—John Buchan

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Examples of zenith in a Sentence

at the zenith of her career as a dancer

Recent Examples of zenith from the Web

The zenith came in 2011, when Russell Wilson helped UW average 44.1 points per game.

— jeff potrykus, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Badgers 2017: 10 things to watch as UW makes a run at the Big Ten title," 24 Aug. 2017
The focus on flood preparation reached a zenith this month after an inundation Aug. 5 exposed the shortfalls of New Orleans' drainage system.

— richard rainey, NOLA.com, "Landrieu: New Orleans evacuation plans to evolve with drainage repairs," 22 Aug. 2017
The Independent System Operator, which runs the state’s power grid from its Folsom headquarters, said the grid lost about 3,000 megawatts of solar power as the eclipse reached its zenith.

— cathy locke, sacbee, "Solar eclipse rated ‘awesome’ by Sacramento-area viewers," 21 Aug. 2017
Just two years ago, the uppermost echelon of endurance racing was at a zenith with the 1,000-hp hybrids from Audi, Toyota, and Porsche duking it out in thrilling races around the world.

— jonathan m. gitlin, Ars Technica, "After 3 straight wins, Porsche kills its Le Mans hybrid in favor of Formula E," 28 July 2017
Monroe rose to fame in the early 1950s, the zenith of Hollywood's Studio System.

— elizabeth winder, Marie Claire, "The Secret Career Genius of Marilyn Monroe," 26 July 2017
The case reached its zenith after a judge sent Davis to jail for refusing his order to issue the licenses.

— Washington Post, "Kentucky told to pay attorney fees in same-sex marriage case," 21 July 2017
The case reached its zenith after a judge sent Davis to jail for refusing his order to issue the licenses.

— adam beam, The Seattle Times, "Kentucky told to pay attorney fees in same-sex marriage case," 21 July 2017
Do not pretend that this moment is the zenith of human expertise and imagination.

— justin nobel, Longreads, "The Louisiana Environmental Apocalypse Road Trip," 13 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'zenith.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Reaching the zenith

When you reach the zenith, you're at the top, the pinnacle, the summit, the peak. Zenith developed from Arabic terms meaning "the way over one's head," and then traveled through Old Spanish, Medieval Latin, and Middle French before arriving in English. As long ago as the 1300s, English speakers used zenith to name the highest point in the celestial heavens, directly overhead. By the 1600s, zenith was being used for other high points as well. The celestial term is often contrasted with nadir, or the point that is vertically downward from the observer (imagine a line going through the earth from the observer's feet and out the other side into the sky). Figuratively, nadir simply means "the lowest point."

Origin and Etymology of zenith

Middle English cenyth, senyth, from Middle French cenit, from Medieval Latin, from Old Spanish zenit, modification of Arabic samt (al-ra's) way (over one's head)

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

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