zenith
- 01 C1 Advanced
the time when something is most successful or powerful.
the highest point or state; the culmination or peak of a career, era, or achievement.
Simple“At the zenith of her career, she was the most famous singer in the world.”
In context“The empire reached its political and cultural zenith during the twelfth century, before internal conflicts led to its gradual decline.”
- 02 C2 Proficiency
the point in the sky directly above you.
the point on the celestial sphere vertically above a given observer; the highest point reached by a celestial body.
Simple“The sun reaches its zenith at midday, when it is highest in the sky.”
In context“The astronomer adjusted the telescope to observe the star as it passed through the zenith, ensuring the clearest possible view through the atmosphere.”
UsageIn technical contexts, it is the polar opposite of the 'nadir'.
From Middle English cenyth, from Medieval Latin cenit, from Arabic سَمْت (samt, “direction, path”), from the fuller form سَمْت اَلرَّأْس (samt ar-raʔs, “direction of the head”). The -ni- for -m- is sometimes thought to be due to a misreading of the three strokes, which is plausible, though it could be a mere phonetic approximation.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.