John Buchan
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Reaching the Zenith
When you reach the zenith, you're at the top, the pinnacle, the summit, the peak. Zenith developed from an Arabic phrase 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, which refers to 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."
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Examples of zenith in a Sentence
Hua Hsu, The New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2024
Today, even if her commercial power has waned from its 2019-2020 zenith, Grande has found a level of consistency amongst her cultural ubiquity.
—Stephen Daw, Billboard, 17 Oct. 2024
The pair spent years locked in an elite but seemingly good-natured rivalry, its zenith coming at the marathon 2008 Wimbledon final, widely considered to be one of the best matches of all time.
—Alexander Smith, NBC News, 10 Oct. 2024
Just days before, the singer’s new set will drop, and with anticipation incredibly high and interest in all things related to the Grammy champion–who hasn’t released a new album in four years–at a zenith, she may be headed for another ruler.
—Hugh McIntyre, Forbes, 25 Sep. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Zenith.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/zenith. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.
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zenith
noun
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