zenithn.adj.

Brit.

/ˈzɛnɪθ/,

/ˈziːnɪθ/, U.S.

/ˈzinᵻθ/

Forms: Middle English cenit, Middle English cenyth, Middle English cinit, Middle English senit, Middle English senith, Middle English senyth, Middle English–1500s cenith, 1500s ceneth, 1500s zenit, 1500s zenithe, 1500s– zenith, 1500s–1600s 1800s zenyth; also Scottish pre-1700 zenych (transmission error), pre-1700 zenycht (transmission error).

Origin: Of multiple origins. Partly a borrowing from French. Partly a borrowing from Latin. Etymons: French cenit, cenith, zenith, Latin cenith, zenit, zenith.

Etymology: < (i) Middle French cenit, cenith, zenith (French zénith ) point of the sky directly overhead (a1324 in Old French as chenit ), point of intersection of an azimuth circle with the horizon (a1362), and its etymon (ii) post-classical Latin cenith, zenit, zenith point of the sky directly overhead (from 12th cent. in British and continental sources), first menstrual blood (1629 in the passage translated in quot. 1653 at sense A. 3b) < Arabic samt path, (in astronomy) specific location of a star or planet in the sky (more fully samt al-ra's , lit. ‘path over the head’; hence ultimately azimuth n.), either with addition of an epenthetic vowel in Latin and other European languages, or resulting from a misreading (by minim confusion) of the transliterated form of the Arabic word. Compare azimuth n.The French and post-classical Latin nouns were borrowed into many other European languages. Compare e.g. Spanish cenit (late 13th cent.), Portuguese zénite (16th cent. as zenith ), Italian zenit (late 13th cent. as cenit ), and also German Zenit (end of the 15th cent.). With the figurative use in sense A. 3a compare French zénith (1608 in this sense).

A. n.

a. The point in the sky directly overhead; the highest point of the celestial sphere as viewed from any particular place; the upper pole of the horizon (opposed to nadir n.).Sometimes formerly used like a predicative adjective, as in quots. 1555, 1638; = in the zenith, ‘vertical’: cf. also quot. 1604.

ΘΚΠ

the world > the universe > celestial sphere > [noun] > zenith

zenitha1387

vertical point1559

medium coeli1585

high noon1629

vertex1646

vertice1665

a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1869) II. 177 Cinit [L. cenit], þat is þe point þat is in þe welken euen aȝenst hem in þe oþer side of þe erþe.

a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add. 27944) (1975) I. viii. xxi. 499 It is iseyde þat a þing is in þe cenith of oure heed whanne he is aboue streiȝt ouer oure heed, for cenith is iclepid ‘a streiȝt sittynge ouerhede.’

c1400 ( G. Chaucer Treat. Astrolabe (Cambr. Dd.3.53) (1872) i. §18. 10 The centre þat standith a-Middes the narwest cercle is cleped the senyth..[which] is ymagened to ben the verrey point ouer the crowne of thyn heued, & also this senyth is the verrey pool of the orisonte in euery regioun.

1496 Epit. Iaspar Late Duke of Beddeforde (Pynson) sig. av Creatures more maddyr In erthe none wandreth atwene senit & naddyr.

c1550 Complaynt Scotl. (1979) vi. 40 The point that is rycht abufe our hede is callit zenych..ande as oft as ve change fra place to place, as oft ve sal hef ane vthir zenycht.

1555 R. Eden Disc. Vyage rounde Worlde in tr. Peter Martyr of Angleria Decades of Newe Worlde f. 218 The sonne beinge there Zenith (that is the poynt of heauen directly ouer theyr heades) they felte greater heate..then when they were vnder the Equinoctiall line.

1604 E. Grimeston tr. J. de Acosta Nat. & Morall Hist. Indies ii. ix. 101 When I passed, which was when the sun was there for Zenith, being entered into Aries.

1638 T. Herbert Some Yeares Trav. (rev. ed.) 6 Shadowlesse, when Sol is Zenith.

1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost i. 745 From Morn To Noon he fell, from Noon to dewy Eve..; and with the setting Sun Dropt from the Zenith like a falling Star.

1733 G. Berkeley Theory of Vision §60. 50 As an Object gradually ascends from the Horizon towards the Zenith.

1849 H. W. Herbert Frank Forester I. 144 There was not a speck of cloud from east to west, from zenith to horizon.

1860 J. Tyndall Glaciers of Alps i. xi. 72 The stars..near the zenith shine with a steady light.

1885 R. Bridges Eros & Psyche i. xxiv. 10 She saw a wondrous light In shifting colour to the zenith tower.

1926 H. N. Russell et al. Astron. I. iii. 80 Stars..may be selected in such a way that some will be as far north of the zenith as others are south.

1975 B. V. Barlow Astron. Telescope ix. 175 Disadvantages are..an inaccessible sky area of about 5 degrees radius centred upon zenith, and a rotating field.

2013 Times (Nexis) 2 Dec. (Features section) 55 The zenith during the early evening is ringed by familiar constellations.

b. More loosely: the expanse of sky overhead; the upper region of the sky.Quot. 1599 shows the development of this sense from sense A. 1a.

ΘΚΠ

the world > the universe > sky, heavens > [noun] > region, zone > upper

zenitha1640

the world > the universe > heavenly body > movement of heavenly bodies > [noun] > reach meridian > place of

zenitha1640

culm1821

1599 J. Davies Nosce Teipsum 96 If we beleeue, that men do liue Vnder the Zenith of both frozen Poles.]

a1640 P. Massinger Beleeue as you List (1976) i. ii. 181 Two, and twentye yeares of miserie..that longe time spent to vnder distant zeniths.

1791 E. Darwin Bot. Garden: Pt. I i. 118 As Night's pale Queen..climbs the zenith.

1828 N. P. Willis in Ladies' Mag. Jan. 45 Above, To the far stretching zenith.

1864 Ld. Tennyson Enoch Arden in Enoch Arden, etc. 32 Huge trees that branch'd And blossom'd in the zenith.

1898 E. V. Lucas Willow & Leather 106 Jack would..brandish the bat, And away the balls would go,..sometimes bang into the zenith.

1934 ‘G. Orwell’ Burmese Days i. 1 Up in the zenith, so high that it dazzled one to look at them, a few vultures circled without the quiver of a wing.

1951 Thrilling Wonder Stories Dec. 126/1 The zenith was filled with infinitesimal specks of light of every conceivable color.

2013 Toronto Star (Nexis) 20 Dec. a3 A single star floats within the marine blue zenith of the window.

†a. The location of a celestial object or event expressed as the point of intersection of an azimuth circle with the horizon; = azimuth n. 2. Obsolete. rare.

ΘΚΠ

the world > the universe > heavenly body > movement of heavenly bodies > [noun] > rising > place of

zenithc1400

the world > the universe > celestial sphere > circle of celestial sphere > [noun] > great circle > azimuth circle > zenith point

zenithc1400

zenith point1585

c1400 ( G. Chaucer Treat. Astrolabe (Cambr. Dd.3.53) (1872) i. §19. 11 Thise Aȝimutz serue to knowe the costes of the firmanent & to othre conclusiouns, as for to knowe the cenyth of the sonne & of euery sterre.

c1400 ( G. Chaucer Treat. Astrolabe (Cambr. Dd.3.53) (1872) ii. §31. 40 To knowe the senyth [Lat. signum] of the arysing of the sonne, this is to seyn, the partie of the Orisonte in which þat the sonne arisith.

†b. A course towards the zenith. Obsolete. rare.

ΘΚΠ

the world > the universe > heavenly body > movement of heavenly bodies > [noun] > rising > course towards zenith

zenith1667

1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost x. 329 Satan..Betwixt the Centaure and the Scorpion stearing His Zenith, while the Sun in Aries rose.

c. The highest or culminating point reached by a celestial object, esp. the sun or moon.

ΚΠ

1704 J. Swift Full Acct. Battel between Bks. in Tale of Tub 271 The conscious Moon, now in her Zenith.

1817 J. F. Pennie Royal Minstrel viii. 165 What time the waning moon with cloud-veil'd face Her zenith reached, o'er the dark waving woods.

1976 L. van der Post Jung & Story of Our Time (1978) v. 149 The sun was at its zenith.

2010 D. Means in New Yorker 25 Oct. 75/2 After the sun's zenith, they [sc. the shadows] lengthened while the sky loosened its grip on the sun.

a. figurative. The highest or best point (of something); the time or period at which something is at its best, most successful, most powerful, etc.; an acme, a climax. Cf. nadir n. 3a.

ΘΚΠ

the world > action or operation > prosperity > advancement or progress > [noun] > state of or advanced condition > highest point

prickOE

heighta1050

full1340

higha1398

pointc1400

roofa1500

top-castle1548

ruff1549

acmea1568

tip1567

noontide1578

high tide1579

superlative1583

summity1588

spring tide1593

meridian1594

period1595

apogee1600

punctilio1601

high-water mark1602

noon1609

zenith1610

auge1611

apex1624

culmination1633

cumble1640

culmen1646

climax1647

topc1650

cumulus1659

summit1661

perigeum1670

highest1688

consummation1698

stretch1741

high point1787

perihelion1804

summary1831

comble1832

heading up1857

climacteric1870

flashpoint1878

tip-end1885

peak1902

noontime1903

Omega point1981

1610 W. Folkingham Feudigraphia Ep. Ded. sig. A2^v My rude Presume in daring from the remote Nadir of obscurity, to eleuate the flaggie Wing of so weake a Pineon towards the Zenith of Perfection.

a1616 W. Shakespeare Tempest (1623) i. ii. 182 I finde my Zenith doth depend vpon A most auspitious starre, whose influence If now I court not,..my fortunes Will euer after droope.

1643 Sir T. Browne Religio Medici (authorized ed.) i. §17 The hand of God, whereby all Estates arise to their Zenith and verticall points.

1728 J. Morgan Compl. Hist. Algiers I. iv. 149 In S. Augustine's Time, the Christian affairs seem to have been in their Zenith of Prosperity.

1790 M. O. Warren Poems 140 E'en in the zenith of republic pride, The virtuous Scipio found it no mean task, To subjugate Numantia's warlike son.

1821 Ld. Byron Marino Faliero (2nd issue) iv. i. 97 I left the festival before It reach'd its zenith.

1837 T. B. Macaulay Ld. Bacon in Ess. (1851) I. 377 Bacon had reached the zenith of his fortunes.

1886 F. Harrison Choice Bks. 251 Built..in the zenith of the pointed style, [Westminster Abbey] is one of the most exquisite examples of its class.

1920 J. K. Turner & J. L. Bridges Hist. Edgecombe County iv. 125 He was well in his prime and almost in the zenith of his political power.

1967 M. Drabble Jerusalem the Golden (1969) vii. 155 A pop singer whose fame was currently at its dizzy histrionic zenith.

2005 Ebony Nov. 110/1 This movement hit its zenith with the March on Washington, led by Dr. King on August 28, 1963.

†b. Medicine. Menstrual blood from a young woman, spec. that of her first menstrual period. Obsolete.

ΚΠ

1637 tr. D. Sennerts Weapon-salves Maladie 12 The Zenith [L. Zenith] (as they call it,) or the first menstruous blood of young Maides, being cast into the fire, as they report, is very offensive unto the Virgin from whom it flowed.

1653 F. Parkhurst tr. A. Tentzel Medicina Diastatica 21 So the zenith [L. Zenith] of a young maiden cast into the fire, is said to stay the fire.

1670 tr. O. Croll Bazilica Chymica 136 ℞ Of Toads..well dryed in the Air... Zenith..of young Maydens, as much as can be got.

B. adj. (attributive).

That is, or represents, the highest or best point of something; most successful, powerful, significant, etc.; culminating; supreme. Cf. sense A. 3.

ΘΚΠ

the world > action or operation > prosperity > advancement or progress > [adjective] > having made progress or advanced > to highest point

peakedc1350

culminant1605

headeda1616

meridiana1657

climacteric1789

zenith1828

zenithal1891

climacterical1896

1735 Gentleman's Mag. Nov. 673/1 Or like Apollo's zenith hour: Or like a full blown rose, her pow'r, Past bud and balmy honey dew Unfolds.]

1828 World of Fashion Apr. 78/2 This is truly the zenith time with theatricals.

1846 J. Schnap & H. van Garretson Old Times & New xi. 40 The whole picture reminding one of fig-leaf days or Indian settlements, instead of the zenith days of Dutch civilization.

1859 W. G. Wills Life's Foreshadowings III. iii. 20 What zenith joy ever stood at gaze beyond its fleeting hour?

1875 W. Cory Lett. & Jrnls. (1897) 405 Scott's year of zenith happiness.

1919 Editor & Publisher 3 Apr. 8/1 This, be it noted, was advertising in its zenith power.

1989 M. P. Malone & R. W. Etulain Amer. West (1990) ii. 85 The Republicans did even better in 1928, the zenith year of prosperity and conservative satisfaction.

2012 P. Harvey Moses, Jesus, & Trickster in Evangelical South iii. 151 This zenith moment of the civil rights movement.

Compounds

C1. attributive, with the sense ‘belonging to or situated at the zenith, directly overhead’.

zenith sky n.

ΚΠ

1811 T. Adams Poet. Wks. 107 Our gilded sterns point to the zenith sky.

1938 Science 22 July 8/1 The measurement of the brightness of the light in the zenith sky an hour after sunset and an hour before sunrise made the findings possible.

2001 St. Petersburg (Florida) Times (Nexis) 16 Dec. 1 d Welbon would rather..recite fluctuations in air pressure or light levels of the zenith sky.

zenith star n.

ΚΠ

1589 P. Jones tr. A. Meyer Certaine Instr. Gentlemen ii. 4 The Zenith, or Verticall starre , which is the point of the firmament directly ouer a mans head, wheresoeuer he standeth.

1709 G. Keith Geogr. & Navigation Compleated 10 A small Prick with the Point of a small Needle, through your proper Zenith Star or Point in the Celestial Planisphere, would make a particular Impression or Mark upon the Place or City in the Terrestrial Planisphere.

1817 P. B. Shelley Laon & Cythna vii. xx. 166 When zenith-stars were trembling on the wave.

1903 T. Hardy Dynasts i. v. v This Trafalgar Will..Pitt exalt As zenith-star of England's firmament.

2013 D. Scarr Hist. of Pacific Islands ii. iii. 31 The position of any island can be fixed by identifying its zenith star.

zenith sun n.

ΚΠ

1658 E. Gee Divine Right & Orig. Civill Magistrate Pref. sig. a5 These are the heats, and flames by which men under this Viall (as by a Zenith Sun) are scorched.

1826 N. T. Carrington Dartmoor 3 Deep-hued flowers that light Their tints at zenith suns.

1926 R. Nash Conquest of Brazil iii. 52 A zenith sun looks down upon every point between the Venezuelan and the Paraguayan frontiers of Brazil twice in each twelvemonth.

2014 Lat. Amer. Antiq. 25 205 Vertical rays of light from the zenith sun illuminate these subterranean chambers.

C2. Astronomy. In names of instruments used for measurements relating to the zenith point.

zenith sector n. now historical a type of zenith telescope formerly favoured, having a heavily built mount with fine adjustments for accurate alignment.

ΘΚΠ

the world > the universe > cosmology > science of observation > astronomical instruments > zenith distance > [noun]

zenith sector1775

zenith telescope1803

zenith tube1825

1775 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 65 499 Which quantities are not too small to be measured and demonstrated by an accurate zenith sector, such as that belonging to the Royal Society.

1829 W. Pearson Pract. Astron. II. 531 The zenith sector..can be used only on the meridian; and its measures are referred to the zenith point of the place of observation. Its principal uses are to determine the latitude of the place of observation by a star of known zenith distance; to measure the zenith distance of a star..; and to ascertain the zenith point.

1970 Notes & Rec. Royal Soc. 24 266 A 5-foot portable zenith sector was found to be difficult both to manipulate and to rectify.

2006 E. Danson Weighing World iv. 33 The expedition was equipped with a 9-foot-tall zenith sector constructed by the London instrument maker George Graham.

zenith telescope n. an astronomical telescope designed to point vertically up to the vicinity of the zenith, used in the precise determination of star positions, astronomical latitude, and the orientation of the earth's poles.

ΘΚΠ

the world > the universe > cosmology > science of observation > astronomical instruments > zenith distance > [noun]

zenith sector1775

zenith telescope1803

zenith tube1825

1803 T. Cavallo Elements Nat. or Exper. Philos. IV. 268 The principal instruments for a fixed observatory, are..a fixed zenith telescope, and a night telescope.

1938 W. S. Downs Encycl. Amer. Biogr. New Ser. 364/1 In 1910..an order was given Mr. Gaertner for the construction of a Photographic Zenith Telescope.

2007 A. T. Tokunaga & R. Jedicke in L.-A. McFadden et al. Encycl. Solar Syst. (ed. 2) xxxix. 724/1 The only large telescope to date that uses a fixed mount..is the Large Zenith Telescope, and it uses a liquid mercury mirror.

zenith tube n. now rare a form of zenith telescope; (also) a fixed open tube aligned to the zenith, for projecting the image of the sun when overhead.

ΘΚΠ

the world > the universe > cosmology > science of observation > astronomical instruments > zenith distance > [noun]

zenith sector1775

zenith telescope1803

zenith tube1825

1825 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 115 174 The first zenith tube was I believe constructed for Dr. Tiarks.

1911 Monthly Notices Royal Astron. Soc. 71 541 The series of observations with the Greenwich Reflex Zenith-Tube, starting in 1856 and continued to 1899.

2005 C. Ruggles Anc. Astron. 188 The first appearance of the noonday sun in the Xochicalco zenith tube occurs exactly fifty-two days before the June solstice.

C3.

† zenith-borne adj. poetic Obsolete borne to or towards the zenith.

ΚΠ

1865 H. C. G. Moule Apollo at Pheræ 17 Golden zenith-borne Arcturus.

1886 M. F. Tupper My Life as Author 365 Liberty!.. Rise to thy height upon zenith-borne wings!

zenith distance n. the angular distance of a celestial object from the zenith (the complement of its altitude or angular distance from the horizon).

ΘΚΠ

the world > the universe > heavenly body > position of heavenly body > [noun] > other

declinationc1400

meridian altitudec1400

angle of position?a1560

zenith distance1588

refraction1603

azimuth1626

amplitude1627

horizontal parallax1665

complement1703

aberration1737

hour-angle1837

intercept1901

1588 A. Ashley tr. L. J. Wagenaer Mariners Mirrour sig. B2 For if the declination be Southward, it must be subducted from the Zenithes distance: but if Northward, added.

1658 J. Collins Sector on Quadrant 243 Get the sum and difference of half the Suns Zenith distance at the hour of six.

1704 J. Harris Lexicon Technicum I. Zenith Distance, is the Complement of the Sun, or Stars Meridian Altitude, or what the Meridian Altitude wants of 90 Degrees.

1854 L. Tomlinson tr. D. F. J. Arago Pop. Lect. Astron. 41 Zenith-distances and azimuths form..a system of angles, by means of which it is easy to fix the positions of the stars with extreme precision.

1934 H. S. Jones Gen. Astron. (ed. 2) ii. 26 Corrections for refraction must be applied to all astronomical observations in order to reduce apparent zenith distance to true zenith distance.

2009 H. W. Duerbeck in G. D. Roth Handbk. Pract. Astron. viii. 210 At large zenith distances, each point-like stellar image is widened to a noticeable spectrum.

zenith line n. now rare (a) an arc from the zenith to the horizon, which it intersects at right angles (= azimuth n. 1), esp. to the point due east on the horizon; (b) a straight vertical line between the zenith point at a given location and the centre of the earth.

ΘΚΠ

the world > the universe > celestial sphere > circle of celestial sphere > [noun] > great circle > azimuth circle

azimuthc1400

vertical circle1559

zenith line1585

vertical1669

1585 J. Blagrave Math. Iewel 39 The 15. azimuth reckoned from the East or zenith line.

a1652 S. Foster Elliptical Horologiography (1654) 69 (heading) How to draw and divide the Ellipsis upon any Plain, to an Index that stands upright..to the Zenith line of the place, or perpendicular to the plain of the Horizon.

1778 N. D. Falck Ready Observator (ed. 2) 80 The imaginary Lines then, perpendicular to the Zenith Line from the different Elevations..are to be understood as the respective true Horizons.

1871 Exchange & Mart 19 Apr. 480/1 The white streamers [of the aurora] extended almost to the eastern horizon, and some were to the south of the zenith line.

1987 J. Raban in Granta No. 10. 29 Your latitude is the angle formed at the Earth's centre between the equator and your zenith-line.

zenith point n. the point on the celestial sphere directly overhead at a particular location; = sense A. 1a.

ΘΚΠ

the world > the universe > celestial sphere > circle of celestial sphere > [noun] > great circle > azimuth circle > zenith point

zenithc1400

zenith point1585

1585 J. Blagrave Math. Iewel ii. xvi. The Azimuthes..are those which are drawne cutting all the almicantares meeting altogither at one point..: which point I call the zenith point of the reete.

a1652 S. Foster Elliptical Horologiography (1654) 63 Only in North Declinations the Equinoctiall goes nearer the Zenith point, in South it goes further of.

1829 W. Pearson Pract. Astron. II. 531 The zenith sector..can be used only on the meridian; and its measures are referred to the zenith point of the place of observation.

1950 Techn. Data Digest Jan. 7/3 From the known positions of the star images in the celestial sphere, the co-ordinates of the zenith point may be computed.

2011 P. Duffet-Smith & J. Zwart Pract. Astron. with Calculator (ed. 4) xviii. 35 The observer..is at O and the plane containing the circle NESW is again the horizon with Z the zenith point.

zenith sweep n. rare and chiefly historical a linear series of observations of a region of the sky passing through the zenith (cf. sweep n. 7).

ΘΚΠ

the world > the universe > cosmology > science of observation > [noun] > sweep

sweep1784

sweeping1786

zenith sweep1790

1790 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 80 10 My twenty-feet speculum was so much tarnished by zenith sweeps, in which it had been..exposed to falling dews.

1976 Jrnl. Hist. Astron. 7 88 Even zenith sweeps could be made, but Herschel had to arrange a weight to work against the great motion rope.

This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2018; most recently modified version published online March 2022).

单词	zenith
释义	zenithn.adj. Brit. /ˈzɛnɪθ/, /ˈziːnɪθ/, U.S. /ˈzinᵻθ/ Forms: Middle English cenit, Middle English cenyth, Middle English cinit, Middle English senit, Middle English senith, Middle English senyth, Middle English–1500s cenith, 1500s ceneth, 1500s zenit, 1500s zenithe, 1500s– zenith, 1500s–1600s 1800s zenyth; also Scottish pre-1700 zenych (transmission error), pre-1700 zenycht (transmission error). Origin: Of multiple origins. Partly a borrowing from French. Partly a borrowing from Latin. Etymons: French cenit, cenith, zenith, Latin cenith, zenit, zenith. Etymology: < (i) Middle French cenit, cenith, zenith (French zénith ) point of the sky directly overhead (a1324 in Old French as chenit ), point of intersection of an azimuth circle with the horizon (a1362), and its etymon (ii) post-classical Latin cenith, zenit, zenith point of the sky directly overhead (from 12th cent. in British and continental sources), first menstrual blood (1629 in the passage translated in quot. 1653 at sense A. 3b) < Arabic samt path, (in astronomy) specific location of a star or planet in the sky (more fully samt al-ra's , lit. ‘path over the head’; hence ultimately azimuth n.), either with addition of an epenthetic vowel in Latin and other European languages, or resulting from a misreading (by minim confusion) of the transliterated form of the Arabic word. Compare azimuth n.The French and post-classical Latin nouns were borrowed into many other European languages. Compare e.g. Spanish cenit (late 13th cent.), Portuguese zénite (16th cent. as zenith ), Italian zenit (late 13th cent. as cenit ), and also German Zenit (end of the 15th cent.). With the figurative use in sense A. 3a compare French zénith (1608 in this sense). A. n. 1. a. The point in the sky directly overhead; the highest point of the celestial sphere as viewed from any particular place; the upper pole of the horizon (opposed to nadir n.).Sometimes formerly used like a predicative adjective, as in quots. 1555, 1638; = in the zenith, ‘vertical’: cf. also quot. 1604. ΘΚΠ the world > the universe > celestial sphere > [noun] > zenith zenitha1387 vertical point1559 medium coeli1585 high noon1629 vertex1646 vertice1665 a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1869) II. 177 Cinit [L. cenit], þat is þe point þat is in þe welken euen aȝenst hem in þe oþer side of þe erþe. a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add. 27944) (1975) I. viii. xxi. 499 It is iseyde þat a þing is in þe cenith of oure heed whanne he is aboue streiȝt ouer oure heed, for cenith is iclepid ‘a streiȝt sittynge ouerhede.’ c1400 ( G. Chaucer Treat. Astrolabe (Cambr. Dd.3.53) (1872) i. §18. 10 The centre þat standith a-Middes the narwest cercle is cleped the senyth..[which] is ymagened to ben the verrey point ouer the crowne of thyn heued, & also this senyth is the verrey pool of the orisonte in euery regioun. 1496 Epit. Iaspar Late Duke of Beddeforde (Pynson) sig. av Creatures more maddyr In erthe none wandreth atwene senit & naddyr. c1550 Complaynt Scotl. (1979) vi. 40 The point that is rycht abufe our hede is callit zenych..ande as oft as ve change fra place to place, as oft ve sal hef ane vthir zenycht. 1555 R. Eden Disc. Vyage rounde Worlde in tr. Peter Martyr of Angleria Decades of Newe Worlde f. 218 The sonne beinge there Zenith (that is the poynt of heauen directly ouer theyr heades) they felte greater heate..then when they were vnder the Equinoctiall line. 1604 E. Grimeston tr. J. de Acosta Nat. & Morall Hist. Indies ii. ix. 101 When I passed, which was when the sun was there for Zenith, being entered into Aries. 1638 T. Herbert Some Yeares Trav. (rev. ed.) 6 Shadowlesse, when Sol is Zenith. 1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost i. 745 From Morn To Noon he fell, from Noon to dewy Eve..; and with the setting Sun Dropt from the Zenith like a falling Star. View more context for this quotation 1733 G. Berkeley Theory of Vision §60. 50 As an Object gradually ascends from the Horizon towards the Zenith. 1849 H. W. Herbert Frank Forester I. 144 There was not a speck of cloud from east to west, from zenith to horizon. 1860 J. Tyndall Glaciers of Alps i. xi. 72 The stars..near the zenith shine with a steady light. 1885 R. Bridges Eros & Psyche i. xxiv. 10 She saw a wondrous light In shifting colour to the zenith tower. 1926 H. N. Russell et al. Astron. I. iii. 80 Stars..may be selected in such a way that some will be as far north of the zenith as others are south. 1975 B. V. Barlow Astron. Telescope ix. 175 Disadvantages are..an inaccessible sky area of about 5 degrees radius centred upon zenith, and a rotating field. 2013 Times (Nexis) 2 Dec. (Features section) 55 The zenith during the early evening is ringed by familiar constellations. b. More loosely: the expanse of sky overhead; the upper region of the sky.Quot. 1599 shows the development of this sense from sense A. 1a. ΘΚΠ the world > the universe > sky, heavens > [noun] > region, zone > upper zenitha1640 the world > the universe > heavenly body > movement of heavenly bodies > [noun] > reach meridian > place of zenitha1640 culm1821 1599 J. Davies Nosce Teipsum 96 If we beleeue, that men do liue Vnder the Zenith of both frozen Poles.] a1640 P. Massinger Beleeue as you List (1976) i. ii. 181 Two, and twentye yeares of miserie..that longe time spent to vnder distant zeniths. 1791 E. Darwin Bot. Garden: Pt. I i. 118 As Night's pale Queen..climbs the zenith. 1828 N. P. Willis in Ladies' Mag. Jan. 45 Above, To the far stretching zenith. 1864 Ld. Tennyson Enoch Arden in Enoch Arden, etc. 32 Huge trees that branch'd And blossom'd in the zenith. 1898 E. V. Lucas Willow & Leather 106 Jack would..brandish the bat, And away the balls would go,..sometimes bang into the zenith. 1934 ‘G. Orwell’ Burmese Days i. 1 Up in the zenith, so high that it dazzled one to look at them, a few vultures circled without the quiver of a wing. 1951 Thrilling Wonder Stories Dec. 126/1 The zenith was filled with infinitesimal specks of light of every conceivable color. 2013 Toronto Star (Nexis) 20 Dec. a3 A single star floats within the marine blue zenith of the window. 2. †a. The location of a celestial object or event expressed as the point of intersection of an azimuth circle with the horizon; = azimuth n. 2. Obsolete. rare. ΘΚΠ the world > the universe > heavenly body > movement of heavenly bodies > [noun] > rising > place of zenithc1400 the world > the universe > celestial sphere > circle of celestial sphere > [noun] > great circle > azimuth circle > zenith point zenithc1400 zenith point1585 c1400 ( G. Chaucer Treat. Astrolabe (Cambr. Dd.3.53) (1872) i. §19. 11 Thise Aȝimutz serue to knowe the costes of the firmanent & to othre conclusiouns, as for to knowe the cenyth of the sonne & of euery sterre. c1400 ( G. Chaucer Treat. Astrolabe (Cambr. Dd.3.53) (1872) ii. §31. 40 To knowe the senyth [Lat. signum] of the arysing of the sonne, this is to seyn, the partie of the Orisonte in which þat the sonne arisith. †b. A course towards the zenith. Obsolete. rare. ΘΚΠ the world > the universe > heavenly body > movement of heavenly bodies > [noun] > rising > course towards zenith zenith1667 1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost x. 329 Satan..Betwixt the Centaure and the Scorpion stearing His Zenith, while the Sun in Aries rose. View more context for this quotation c. The highest or culminating point reached by a celestial object, esp. the sun or moon. ΚΠ 1704 J. Swift Full Acct. Battel between Bks. in Tale of Tub 271 The conscious Moon, now in her Zenith. 1817 J. F. Pennie Royal Minstrel viii. 165 What time the waning moon with cloud-veil'd face Her zenith reached, o'er the dark waving woods. 1976 L. van der Post Jung & Story of Our Time (1978) v. 149 The sun was at its zenith. 2010 D. Means in New Yorker 25 Oct. 75/2 After the sun's zenith, they [sc. the shadows] lengthened while the sky loosened its grip on the sun. 3. a. figurative. The highest or best point (of something); the time or period at which something is at its best, most successful, most powerful, etc.; an acme, a climax. Cf. nadir n. 3a. ΘΚΠ the world > action or operation > prosperity > advancement or progress > [noun] > state of or advanced condition > highest point prickOE heighta1050 full1340 higha1398 pointc1400 roofa1500 top-castle1548 ruff1549 acmea1568 tip1567 noontide1578 high tide1579 superlative1583 summity1588 spring tide1593 meridian1594 period1595 apogee1600 punctilio1601 high-water mark1602 noon1609 zenith1610 auge1611 apex1624 culmination1633 cumble1640 culmen1646 climax1647 topc1650 cumulus1659 summit1661 perigeum1670 highest1688 consummation1698 stretch1741 high point1787 perihelion1804 summary1831 comble1832 heading up1857 climacteric1870 flashpoint1878 tip-end1885 peak1902 noontime1903 Omega point1981 1610 W. Folkingham Feudigraphia Ep. Ded. sig. A2^v My rude Presume in daring from the remote Nadir of obscurity, to eleuate the flaggie Wing of so weake a Pineon towards the Zenith of Perfection. a1616 W. Shakespeare Tempest (1623) i. ii. 182 I finde my Zenith doth depend vpon A most auspitious starre, whose influence If now I court not,..my fortunes Will euer after droope. View more context for this quotation 1643 Sir T. Browne Religio Medici (authorized ed.) i. §17 The hand of God, whereby all Estates arise to their Zenith and verticall points. View more context for this quotation 1728 J. Morgan Compl. Hist. Algiers I. iv. 149 In S. Augustine's Time, the Christian affairs seem to have been in their Zenith of Prosperity. 1790 M. O. Warren Poems 140 E'en in the zenith of republic pride, The virtuous Scipio found it no mean task, To subjugate Numantia's warlike son. 1821 Ld. Byron Marino Faliero (2nd issue) iv. i. 97 I left the festival before It reach'd its zenith. 1837 T. B. Macaulay Ld. Bacon in Ess. (1851) I. 377 Bacon had reached the zenith of his fortunes. 1886 F. Harrison Choice Bks. 251 Built..in the zenith of the pointed style, [Westminster Abbey] is one of the most exquisite examples of its class. 1920 J. K. Turner & J. L. Bridges Hist. Edgecombe County iv. 125 He was well in his prime and almost in the zenith of his political power. 1967 M. Drabble Jerusalem the Golden (1969) vii. 155 A pop singer whose fame was currently at its dizzy histrionic zenith. 2005 Ebony Nov. 110/1 This movement hit its zenith with the March on Washington, led by Dr. King on August 28, 1963. †b. Medicine. Menstrual blood from a young woman, spec. that of her first menstrual period. Obsolete. ΚΠ 1637 tr. D. Sennerts Weapon-salves Maladie 12 The Zenith [L. Zenith] (as they call it,) or the first menstruous blood of young Maides, being cast into the fire, as they report, is very offensive unto the Virgin from whom it flowed. 1653 F. Parkhurst tr. A. Tentzel Medicina Diastatica 21 So the zenith [L. Zenith] of a young maiden cast into the fire, is said to stay the fire. 1670 tr. O. Croll Bazilica Chymica 136 ℞ Of Toads..well dryed in the Air... Zenith..of young Maydens, as much as can be got. B. adj. (attributive). That is, or represents, the highest or best point of something; most successful, powerful, significant, etc.; culminating; supreme. Cf. sense A. 3. ΘΚΠ the world > action or operation > prosperity > advancement or progress > [adjective] > having made progress or advanced > to highest point peakedc1350 culminant1605 headeda1616 meridiana1657 climacteric1789 zenith1828 zenithal1891 climacterical1896 1735 Gentleman's Mag. Nov. 673/1 Or like Apollo's zenith hour: Or like a full blown rose, her pow'r, Past bud and balmy honey dew Unfolds.] 1828 World of Fashion Apr. 78/2 This is truly the zenith time with theatricals. 1846 J. Schnap & H. van Garretson Old Times & New xi. 40 The whole picture reminding one of fig-leaf days or Indian settlements, instead of the zenith days of Dutch civilization. 1859 W. G. Wills Life's Foreshadowings III. iii. 20 What zenith joy ever stood at gaze beyond its fleeting hour? 1875 W. Cory Lett. & Jrnls. (1897) 405 Scott's year of zenith happiness. 1919 Editor & Publisher 3 Apr. 8/1 This, be it noted, was advertising in its zenith power. 1989 M. P. Malone & R. W. Etulain Amer. West (1990) ii. 85 The Republicans did even better in 1928, the zenith year of prosperity and conservative satisfaction. 2012 P. Harvey Moses, Jesus, & Trickster in Evangelical South iii. 151 This zenith moment of the civil rights movement. Compounds C1. attributive, with the sense ‘belonging to or situated at the zenith, directly overhead’. zenith sky n. ΚΠ 1811 T. Adams Poet. Wks. 107 Our gilded sterns point to the zenith sky. 1938 Science 22 July 8/1 The measurement of the brightness of the light in the zenith sky an hour after sunset and an hour before sunrise made the findings possible. 2001 St. Petersburg (Florida) Times (Nexis) 16 Dec. 1 d Welbon would rather..recite fluctuations in air pressure or light levels of the zenith sky. zenith star n. ΚΠ 1589 P. Jones tr. A. Meyer Certaine Instr. Gentlemen ii. 4 The Zenith, or Verticall starre , which is the point of the firmament directly ouer a mans head, wheresoeuer he standeth. 1709 G. Keith Geogr. & Navigation Compleated 10 A small Prick with the Point of a small Needle, through your proper Zenith Star or Point in the Celestial Planisphere, would make a particular Impression or Mark upon the Place or City in the Terrestrial Planisphere. 1817 P. B. Shelley Laon & Cythna vii. xx. 166 When zenith-stars were trembling on the wave. 1903 T. Hardy Dynasts i. v. v This Trafalgar Will..Pitt exalt As zenith-star of England's firmament. 2013 D. Scarr Hist. of Pacific Islands ii. iii. 31 The position of any island can be fixed by identifying its zenith star. zenith sun n. ΚΠ 1658 E. Gee Divine Right & Orig. Civill Magistrate Pref. sig. a5 These are the heats, and flames by which men under this Viall (as by a Zenith Sun) are scorched. 1826 N. T. Carrington Dartmoor 3 Deep-hued flowers that light Their tints at zenith suns. 1926 R. Nash Conquest of Brazil iii. 52 A zenith sun looks down upon every point between the Venezuelan and the Paraguayan frontiers of Brazil twice in each twelvemonth. 2014 Lat. Amer. Antiq. 25 205 Vertical rays of light from the zenith sun illuminate these subterranean chambers. C2. Astronomy. In names of instruments used for measurements relating to the zenith point. zenith sector n. now historical a type of zenith telescope formerly favoured, having a heavily built mount with fine adjustments for accurate alignment. ΘΚΠ the world > the universe > cosmology > science of observation > astronomical instruments > zenith distance > [noun] zenith sector1775 zenith telescope1803 zenith tube1825 1775 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 65 499 Which quantities are not too small to be measured and demonstrated by an accurate zenith sector, such as that belonging to the Royal Society. 1829 W. Pearson Pract. Astron. II. 531 The zenith sector..can be used only on the meridian; and its measures are referred to the zenith point of the place of observation. Its principal uses are to determine the latitude of the place of observation by a star of known zenith distance; to measure the zenith distance of a star..; and to ascertain the zenith point. 1970 Notes & Rec. Royal Soc. 24 266 A 5-foot portable zenith sector was found to be difficult both to manipulate and to rectify. 2006 E. Danson Weighing World iv. 33 The expedition was equipped with a 9-foot-tall zenith sector constructed by the London instrument maker George Graham. zenith telescope n. an astronomical telescope designed to point vertically up to the vicinity of the zenith, used in the precise determination of star positions, astronomical latitude, and the orientation of the earth's poles. ΘΚΠ the world > the universe > cosmology > science of observation > astronomical instruments > zenith distance > [noun] zenith sector1775 zenith telescope1803 zenith tube1825 1803 T. Cavallo Elements Nat. or Exper. Philos. IV. 268 The principal instruments for a fixed observatory, are..a fixed zenith telescope, and a night telescope. 1938 W. S. Downs Encycl. Amer. Biogr. New Ser. 364/1 In 1910..an order was given Mr. Gaertner for the construction of a Photographic Zenith Telescope. 2007 A. T. Tokunaga & R. Jedicke in L.-A. McFadden et al. Encycl. Solar Syst. (ed. 2) xxxix. 724/1 The only large telescope to date that uses a fixed mount..is the Large Zenith Telescope, and it uses a liquid mercury mirror. zenith tube n. now rare a form of zenith telescope; (also) a fixed open tube aligned to the zenith, for projecting the image of the sun when overhead. ΘΚΠ the world > the universe > cosmology > science of observation > astronomical instruments > zenith distance > [noun] zenith sector1775 zenith telescope1803 zenith tube1825 1825 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 115 174 The first zenith tube was I believe constructed for Dr. Tiarks. 1911 Monthly Notices Royal Astron. Soc. 71 541 The series of observations with the Greenwich Reflex Zenith-Tube, starting in 1856 and continued to 1899. 2005 C. Ruggles Anc. Astron. 188 The first appearance of the noonday sun in the Xochicalco zenith tube occurs exactly fifty-two days before the June solstice. C3. † zenith-borne adj. poetic Obsolete borne to or towards the zenith. ΚΠ 1865 H. C. G. Moule Apollo at Pheræ 17 Golden zenith-borne Arcturus. 1886 M. F. Tupper My Life as Author 365 Liberty!.. Rise to thy height upon zenith-borne wings! zenith distance n. the angular distance of a celestial object from the zenith (the complement of its altitude or angular distance from the horizon). ΘΚΠ the world > the universe > heavenly body > position of heavenly body > [noun] > other declinationc1400 meridian altitudec1400 angle of position?a1560 zenith distance1588 refraction1603 azimuth1626 amplitude1627 horizontal parallax1665 complement1703 aberration1737 hour-angle1837 intercept1901 1588 A. Ashley tr. L. J. Wagenaer Mariners Mirrour sig. B2 For if the declination be Southward, it must be subducted from the Zenithes distance: but if Northward, added. 1658 J. Collins Sector on Quadrant 243 Get the sum and difference of half the Suns Zenith distance at the hour of six. 1704 J. Harris Lexicon Technicum I. Zenith Distance, is the Complement of the Sun, or Stars Meridian Altitude, or what the Meridian Altitude wants of 90 Degrees. 1854 L. Tomlinson tr. D. F. J. Arago Pop. Lect. Astron. 41 Zenith-distances and azimuths form..a system of angles, by means of which it is easy to fix the positions of the stars with extreme precision. 1934 H. S. Jones Gen. Astron. (ed. 2) ii. 26 Corrections for refraction must be applied to all astronomical observations in order to reduce apparent zenith distance to true zenith distance. 2009 H. W. Duerbeck in G. D. Roth Handbk. Pract. Astron. viii. 210 At large zenith distances, each point-like stellar image is widened to a noticeable spectrum. zenith line n. now rare (a) an arc from the zenith to the horizon, which it intersects at right angles (= azimuth n. 1), esp. to the point due east on the horizon; (b) a straight vertical line between the zenith point at a given location and the centre of the earth. ΘΚΠ the world > the universe > celestial sphere > circle of celestial sphere > [noun] > great circle > azimuth circle azimuthc1400 vertical circle1559 zenith line1585 vertical1669 1585 J. Blagrave Math. Iewel 39 The 15. azimuth reckoned from the East or zenith line. a1652 S. Foster Elliptical Horologiography (1654) 69 (heading) How to draw and divide the Ellipsis upon any Plain, to an Index that stands upright..to the Zenith line of the place, or perpendicular to the plain of the Horizon. 1778 N. D. Falck Ready Observator (ed. 2) 80 The imaginary Lines then, perpendicular to the Zenith Line from the different Elevations..are to be understood as the respective true Horizons. 1871 Exchange & Mart 19 Apr. 480/1 The white streamers [of the aurora] extended almost to the eastern horizon, and some were to the south of the zenith line. 1987 J. Raban in Granta No. 10. 29 Your latitude is the angle formed at the Earth's centre between the equator and your zenith-line. zenith point n. the point on the celestial sphere directly overhead at a particular location; = sense A. 1a. ΘΚΠ the world > the universe > celestial sphere > circle of celestial sphere > [noun] > great circle > azimuth circle > zenith point zenithc1400 zenith point1585 1585 J. Blagrave Math. Iewel ii. xvi. The Azimuthes..are those which are drawne cutting all the almicantares meeting altogither at one point..: which point I call the zenith point of the reete. a1652 S. Foster Elliptical Horologiography (1654) 63 Only in North Declinations the Equinoctiall goes nearer the Zenith point, in South it goes further of. 1829 W. Pearson Pract. Astron. II. 531 The zenith sector..can be used only on the meridian; and its measures are referred to the zenith point of the place of observation. 1950 Techn. Data Digest Jan. 7/3 From the known positions of the star images in the celestial sphere, the co-ordinates of the zenith point may be computed. 2011 P. Duffet-Smith & J. Zwart Pract. Astron. with Calculator (ed. 4) xviii. 35 The observer..is at O and the plane containing the circle NESW is again the horizon with Z the zenith point. zenith sweep n. rare and chiefly historical a linear series of observations of a region of the sky passing through the zenith (cf. sweep n. 7). ΘΚΠ the world > the universe > cosmology > science of observation > [noun] > sweep sweep1784 sweeping1786 zenith sweep1790 1790 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 80 10 My twenty-feet speculum was so much tarnished by zenith sweeps, in which it had been..exposed to falling dews. 1976 Jrnl. Hist. Astron. 7 88 Even zenith sweeps could be made, but Herschel had to arrange a weight to work against the great motion rope. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2018; most recently modified version published online March 2022). < n.adj.a1387
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