nadir

American  

[ney-der, ney-deer] / ˈneɪ dər, ˈneɪ dɪər /

noun

1. Astronomy. the point on the celestial sphere directly beneath a given position or observer and diametrically opposite the zenith.

2. Astrology. the point of a horoscope opposite the midheaven: the cusp of the fourth house.

3. the lowest point; point of greatest adversity or despair.

   Synonyms:

   foot, floor, bottom

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nadir British  

/ ˈneɪdɪə, ˈnæ- /

noun

1. the point on the celestial sphere directly below an observer and diametrically opposite the zenith

2. the lowest or deepest point; depths

   the nadir of despair

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nadir Scientific  

/ nā′dər /

1. The point on the celestial sphere that is directly below the observer (90 degrees below the celestial horizon).

2. Compare zenith

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Other Word Forms

• nadiral adjective

Etymology

Origin of nadir

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English nadir, nader, nadair, from Middle French nadir “point opposite the zenith,” from Medieval Latin nadir “point opposite the sun,” from Arabic naẓīr (as-samt) “opposite (the zenith)”; zenith ( def. )

Example Sentences

Borthwick's England are now facing their own nadir - the possibility of four defeats in the same Five or Six Nations for the first time since 1976, and the likelihood of matching Jones' fifth-place finish.

From BBC

The overkill hits its nadir when the Bride repeatedly wails the survivors’ hashtag, “Me too!”

From Los Angeles Times

Turnout has ticked upward from its nadir in the 1990s, but around one in every three Americans never vote in presidential elections.

From Salon

Instead, the tumultuous start to Nancy's reign as Celtic manager slipped to an early nadir.

From BBC

While headline inflation could tick up from the nadir reached in October, household goods and services prices likely continued to decline due to GST rate cuts, they wrote.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• rock bottom