nadir
pronunciation
How to pronounce nadir in British English:
UK [ˈneɪdɪə(r)]
How to pronounce nadir in American English:
US [ˈneɪdɪr]
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- Noun:
- an extreme state of adversity; the lowest point of anything
- the point below the observer that is directly opposite the zenith on the imaginary sphere against which celestial bodies appear to be projected
Word Origin
- nadir (n.)
- late 14c., in astronomical sense, from Medieval Latin nadir, from Arabic nazir "opposite to," in nazir as-samt, literally "opposite direction," from nazir "opposite" + as-samt "road, path" (see zenith). Transferred sense of "lowest point (of anything)" is first recorded 1793.
Antonym
Example
- 1. The next target is the 2010 nadir around $ 1.1876 .
- 2. The nadir of fertility appears to be 1.3 children per woman .
- 3. Things go downhill from youth to middle age until they reach a nadir commonly known as the mid-life crisis .
- 4. Relations between china and japan have sunk to a nadir in a dispute over islands in the east china sea .
- 5. By the end of the year trade values had risen by almost 30 % from their nadir last february .