nadir

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   the lowest or most unsuccessful point; the point opposite the zenith

   The defeat marked the nadir of his political career.

Simplified etymology

Nadir was borrowed in late Middle English from Arabic nazīr, meaning “opposite,” specifically the point opposite the zenith. Originally the astronomical point directly below an observer, it developed the general sense “lowest or least successful point” in the early 17th century.

From Old French nadir, from Medieval Latin nadir, from Arabic naẓīr (al-samt) ('opposite the zenith'), from naẓīr ('opposite, corresponding to').

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