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nadir

 
Dictionary: na·dir   (nā'dər, -dîr') pronunciation
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n.
  1. Astronomy. A point on the celestial sphere directly below the observer, diametrically opposite the zenith.
  2. The lowest point: the nadir of their fortunes.

[Middle English, from Medieval Latin, from Arabic naẓīr (as-samt), opposite (the zenith), from naẓara, to see, watch.]


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Wordsmith Words: nadir
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(NAY-duhr, NAY-deer)

noun
1. The point on the celestial sphere directly below the observer, opposite the zenith.
2. The lowest point.

Etymology
From Middle English, from Middle French, from Arabic nazir (opposite).

Usage
"From its nadir in 1988 - two years after the Tax Reform Act removed many incentives for investing and ushered in an era of downsizing, mergers and loss of industrial leadership to Japan, America has shaken off its malaise and come storming back." — Nicholas Valery, Innovation in Industry: Something in the Air, The Economist (London) Feb 20, 1999.

 
Columbia Encyclopedia: nadir
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nadir (nā'dər) [Arab.,=opposite], in astronomy, the point on the celestial sphere directly opposite the zenith, i.e., directly beneath the observer.

Word Tutor: nadir
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pronunciation

IN BRIEF: The lowest point.

pronunciation Her hopes reached their nadir when she learned that his family had intercepted all her letters to him.

Tutor's tip: This word was used in the 2006 Scripps National Spelling Bee finals.

Wikipedia: Nadir
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For other uses, see Nadir (disambiguation).
Search Wiktionary Look up nadir in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
Diagram showing the relationship between the Zenith, the Nadir, and different types of Horizon. Note how the Nadir is opposite the Zenith.

The nadir (from Arabic نظير nathir, "opposite") is the direction pointing directly below a particular location; that is, it is one of two vertical directions at the location, orthogonal to a horizontal flat surface there. Since the concept of being below is itself somewhat vague, scientists define the nadir in more rigorous terms. Specifically, in astronomy, geophysics and related sciences (e.g., meteorology), the nadir at a given point is the local vertical direction pointing in the direction of the force of gravity at that location. The direction opposite of the nadir is the zenith.

Nadir also refers to the downward-facing viewing geometry of an orbiting satellite,[1] such as is employed during remote sensing of the atmosphere, as well as when an astronaut faces the Earth while performing an EVA.

This diagram depicts a satellite observing backscattered sunlight in the nadir viewing geometry.

The word is also used figuratively to mean the lowest point of a person's spirits.[2]

The term nadir can also be used to represent the lowest point reached by a celestial body during its apparent orbit around a given point of observation. This can be used to describe the location of the Sun, but it is only technically accurate for one latitude at a time and only possible at the low latitudes. The sun is said to be at the nadir at a location when it is at the zenith at the location's antipode.

See also

References

  1. ^ "The Common Berthing Mechanism (CBM) for International Space Station". Society of Automotive Engineers, Inc.. 2001. http://spacecraft.ssl.umd.edu/design_lib/ICES01-2435.ISS_CBM.pdf. Retrieved 2008-04-23. 
  2. ^ "Nadir definition". Encyclopedia Britannica, 11th Edition. http://encyclopedia.jrank.org/MOS_NAN/NADIR_Arabic_nadir_opposite_to_.html. Retrieved 2008-04-23. 


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Translations: Nadir
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Dansk (Danish)
n. - laveste punkt, nadir

Nederlands (Dutch)
dieptepunt, nadir

Français (French)
n. - (Astron) nadir, (fig) point le plus bas

Deutsch (German)
n. - Fußpunkt, Tiefpunkt

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - (αστρον.) ναδίρ, (μτφ.) κατώτατο σημείο

Italiano (Italian)
nadir

Português (Portuguese)
n. - nadir (m) (Astr.), ponto mais baixo

Русский (Russian)
надир, низшая точка

Español (Spanish)
n. - nadir, punto más bajo

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - nadir, bottenläge

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
天底, 最低点, 最底点

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 天底, 最低點, 最底點

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 천저, (운명 등의) 밑바닥

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 天底, 最下点, どん底

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) الحضيض, لحظه احباط او فشل كبير‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮נקודת השפל, נדיר, נקודה בשמים הנמצאת מתחת לרגלי המתבונן, מנוגדת לזנית‬

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