nadir

[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.
Origin
1350-1400; Middle English ≪ Arabic naẓīr over against, opposite to (the zenith)
Related forms
nadiral, adjective
Can be confused
nadir, zenith.
Synonyms
3. bottom, floor, foot, depths.
Examples from the web for nadir
  • This spiritual nadir came as his career began to peak.
  • Then came the nadir of his season, the 81 in the Memorial.
  • At the nadir, I was sleeping about 2-3 hours a night and writing or revising when everyone else was asleep.
  • We are close to the nadir of the human soul here.
  • And even at its nadir there were signs of awakening.
  • Morale among rank-and-file officers has sunk to a nadir, many officers say.
  • For an older generation of architects these buildings embody the absolute nadir of the welfare state.
  • By the time minimalism rolled around, fabric was at its nadir.
  • The nadir came with the trip to the open-air market.
  • Their usage is as much as three times higher at its peak than at its nadir.
British Dictionary definitions for nadir

nadir

/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
Word Origin
C14: from Old French, from Arabic nazīr as-samt, literally: opposite the zenith
Word Origin and History for nadir
n.

late 14c., in astronomical sense, from Medieval Latin nadir, from Arabic nazir "opposite to," in nazir as-samt, literally "opposite of the zenith," from nazir "opposite" + as-samt "zenith" (see zenith). Transferred sense of "lowest point (of anything)" is first recorded 1793.

nadir in Science
nadir
  (nā'dər)   
The point on the celestial sphere that is directly below the observer (90 degrees below the celestial horizon). Compare zenith.