zenith
Definitions
General English
- noun the highest point, point of greatest achievement
General Science
- noun the point of the celestial sphere that is 90 degrees from all points on the horizon and directly over the observer
Origin & History of “zenith”
Arabic samt arrās means literally ‘path over the head’. Samt ‘path, road’ made its way via Old Spanish zenit and Old French cenit into English as zenith, bringing with it the metaphorical application to the ‘point in the sky directly overhead’. The plural of samt, sumūt, is the ultimate source of English azimuth (14th c.).
