HOW TO PRONOUNCE
nadir
/ˈneɪˌdɪɚ/
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American Pronunciation Guide · 1:03
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What does nadir mean?
noun
- The point of the celestial sphere, directly opposite the zenith; inferior pole of the horizon; point of the celestial sphere directly under the place of observation.
- (figuratively) The lowest point; time of greatest depression.
- The axis of a projected conical shadow; the direction of the force of gravity at a location; down.
More meanings (4)
verb
- To extend (a beehive) by adding an empty box at the base.
proper noun
- A male given name.
- A surname.
noun
- (archaic) An empty box added beneath a full one in a beehive to give the colony more room to expand or store honey.
Definitions regrouped for readability · CC BY-SA 4.0
IPA pronunciation
/ˈneɪˌdɪɚ/
Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 ↗Pronunciation varies by speaker and region. About these dictionary pronunciations.
In the pages of books
See this word in context.
The fourth angle, or Nadir, the point opposite the M. C., signifies the frozen North, and is symbolized by Capricorn, the crystallizing point in the soul's involution.
Where cow thieves went scot free, horse thieves were hanged, and to say that a man was "as common as a horse thief" was to express the nadir of commonness.
More book examples (3)
Or, lastly, animated with sufficient speed to enable it to reach the neutral point, but not sufficient to pass it, it would remain forever suspended in that spot like the pretended tomb of Mahomet, between the zenith and the nadir.
The bishop of Hippo, who thought the earth flat because it appeared so to the eye, supposed in consequence that, if we should connect by straight lines the zenith with the nadir in different places, these lines would be parallel with each other; and in the direction of these lines he traced every movement from above to below.
It is not our intention to follow the conquests of the Mahometans from the days of Walid and Mahmoud to those of Timour and Nadir; sufficient to observe, that the greatest part of India was subdued, new monarchies established, and the old religion, though far too powerful and widely spread to be extirpated, was to a considerable extent abashed and humbled before the bright rising sun of Islam.