Make Your Point: ZENITH

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pronounce ZENITH:

Say it "ZEE nith."

To hear it, click here.

If you're outside the US, or if you just can't resist a phonetic pronunciation, you'll say "ZEN ith."

Does the American pronunciation, "ZEE nith," sound wrong to you? To me, too. It can help to compare "zenith" to the word "zero," which also comes from Arabic and also has a long E despite looking like it should have a short one.

connect this word to others:

The beautiful word zenith comes from Arabic. So do these:

1. c_ph__ ("a zero, or a secret code or secret message");

2. n_b__ ("a rich, powerful person with a lifestyle that's way too luxurious");

3. the precise opposite of zenith: n_d__ ("the lowest point, the worst point").

Can you recall all three?

(To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.)

definition:

This word traces back through French and Latin to the Arabic samt ar-ras, meaning "the way over the head."

Strictly speaking, the zenith is the point in the sky directly above you.

Loosely speaking, the zenith of something is the highest point, or the very best part.

grammatical bits:

Part of speech: noun, the countable kind: "the band is at their zenith," "she was at the zenith of her career."

Other forms:

The plural is "zeniths."

The adjective is "zenithal," said "ZEE nith ull." But you can also just use "zenith" like an adjective, as in "his zenith year" or "her zenith joy."

And, to strike a poetic or silly tone, you can use "zenithward" as either an adverb ("the balloon floated zenithward") or an adjective ("a zenithward antenna").

how to use it:

This common but beautiful word almost always has a positive, dramatic tone.

When you talk about something being at its zenith, you're comparing it to something celestial or even heavenly, like a star, a moon, or a meteor--but at the same time, you might be suggesting that it's destined to run a certain course: to rise to a certain height, then fall.

Talk about artists, writers, leaders, careers, trends, movements, relationships and so on being at their zenith, or reaching, hitting, or more poetically, arcing toward their zenith. Or, being past their zenith, or coming down from their zenith.

Someone's power, impact, influence, creativity, happiness, or desire for something can also reach a zenith.

And we often talk about the zenith of something: "1993, the zenith of grunge music."

Finally, although a zenith is almost always a good thing, you can certainly talk about bad things reaching their zenith--although in that case, I recommend calling that worst point a nadir instead. Still, here's an example from the Guardian: "Their fight for control of the drug trade raged for almost a year. At its zenith it saw more than a murder per day."

examples:

"Then he threw the stone into the air. The living brothers caught their breath, as the stone arced up over the clouds. It reached what they were certain must be the zenith of its curve, and then, defying all reason, it continued to rise into the air."
— Neil Gaiman, Stardust, 2006

"So welcome to the year 1867. The Victorian age is at its zenith and a new, powerful and monied middle class is looking for things to do with their cash."
— Iwan Morus, The Conversation, 27 October 2017

"'Check out these dopes goggling at this breathtaking testament to the melding of engineering and human creativity,' said Eiffel Tower tour guide Henri Bergeron, disdainfully pointing out a large group of vacationers clearly dumbstruck by the zenith of mankind’s structural accomplishments. 'Oh, what, they've never seen a heart-stopping tribute to humanity's potential before?'"
— The Onion, 8 January 2020

has this page helped you understand "zenith"?

Awesome, I'm glad it helped!

Thanks for letting me know!
If you have any questions about this word, please message me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.

study it:

Explain the meaning of "zenith" without saying "peak" or "tippy-top."

try it out:

Fill in the blanks: "(A particular time) marks the zenith of _____."

Example 1: "These two weeks mark the zenith of the island's seasonal boom."
— Tom Rowley, The Independent, 15 August 2015

Example 2: "The 1959 Cadillac was excessive not only in styling but in size... [it was] the decade that would mark the zenith of the American auto industry's power."
— Bill Vance, Times Colonist, 19 October 2018

before you review, play:

Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.

Our game this month is "Subject Line Crosswords."

We'll revisit some of the email subject lines from 2019 issues, using them as a tool for recall.

Each day this month, see if you can complete the mini-crossword with words we studied last year. If you need extra clues, look below the puzzle to view definitions and parts of speech. And I'll share the answers in the following issue. Enjoy!

From the previous issue:

Extra clues:

ACROSS
2. verb meaning "to talk so harshly about things or people that it's as if you're stripping off their skin"
3. adjective meaning "seeming to be as hard as stone or diamonds because they're so firm, strong, and solid that they can't be moved, changed, or defeated"

DOWN
1. noun meaning "someone who loves and appreciates (and possibly overindulges in) food"

Answers:

If you like, you can review the words excoriate, adamantine, and gourmand.

Try this today:

Extra clues:

ACROSS
2. adjective meaning "always getting into debates or arguments, even over issues that don't matter"
3. adjective meaning "totally unaware of what's happening right around you"

DOWN
1. verb meaning "to put something into someone's mind or heart little by little, again and again for a long time, as if you're putting it in one drop at a time"

review this word:

1. The precise opposite of ZENITH is NADIR.
But some pretty close opposites of ZENITH are

A. ACME and MERIDIAN.
B. BATHOS and MELODRAMA.
C. BASELINE and STARTING POINT.

2. When you first hear its name, "Zenith Plateau," it sounds _____. It's an underwater plateau named for the ship that discovered it.

A. insulting
B. redundant
C. like a contradiction

a final word:

I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love.

I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words.

From my blog:
36 ways to study words.
Why we forget words, & how to remember them.
How to use sophisticated words without being awkward.

To be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.

Disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.

Make Your Point > Archived Issues > ZENITH See this issue on Make Your Point, Jr. Send Make Your Point issues straight to your inbox.

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Make Your Point > Archived Issues > ZENITH

See this issue on Make Your Point, Jr.

Send Make Your Point issues straight to your inbox.

Subscribe to "Make Your Point" for a daily vocabulary boost.

You're viewing an improved, expanded version of this issue. If you need to refer to the original version, you can find it here.