zenith — ODE · Shobdo

zenith /ˈzɛnɪθ

▸ noun

1 the time at which something is most powerful or successful:

in 1977, punk was at its zenith.

2 Astronomy the point in the sky or celestial sphere directly above an observer. The opposite of nadir

▪ the highest point reached by a given celestial object:

the sun was well past the zenith.

– DERIVATIVES

zenithal /ˈzɛnɪθl

/ adjective

– ORIGIN late Middle English: from Old French or medieval Latin cenit, based on Arabic samt (ar-ra's) ‘path (over the head)’.