nadir
/ˈneɪˌdɪɚ/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.86 in modern English
6
Scrabble Score
5
Letters
2
Syllables
5
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
The point of the celestial sphere, directly opposite the zenith; inferior pole of the horizon; point of the celestial sphere directly under the place of observation.
noun
The lowest point; time of greatest depression.
noun
The axis of a projected conical shadow; the direction of the force of gravity at a location; down.
noun
An empty box added beneath a full one in a beehive to give the colony more room to expand or store honey.
Archaic
name
A male given name.
name
A surname.
Example Sentences
- "[…] when we are Nadyr to the Sunne, we have no ſhadow […]"
- "Near-synonym: dead"
- "[…] the seventh century is the nadir of the human mind in Europe […]"
- "In this nadir of poetic repute, when the only verse that most people read from one year’s end to the next is what appears on greetings cards, it is well for us to stop and consider our poets."
- "The myth describes the dangerous moment of the nadir, the dead of winter, the moment when it is not known whether the world will be re-created and another cycle will bring on another spring."
- "Trust had reached a nadir."
Etymology
From Medieval Latin nadir, from Arabic نَظِير السَّمْت (naẓīr as-samt), composed of نَظِير (naẓīr, “counterpart, corresponding to”) and السَّمْت (as-samt, “the zenith”).
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: nadir, نَظِير السَّمْت
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈneɪˌdɪɚ/
- British English: /ˈneɪˌdɪə(ɹ)/
Usage
Inflected Forms
Derived Forms
Phrases
zenith -