English
zenith
Zenith comes from Medieval Latin cenit, and goes back to Arabic سَمْت ‘direction, path’.
- Arabicc. 500–presentسَمْتsamt‘direction, path’
- Medieval Latinc. 600–1500cenit
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500cenyth
- Englishearliest quotation 1610–1611zenith
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Arabicc. 500–presentسَمْتsamt‘direction, path’
- Medieval Latinc. 600–1500cenit
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500cenyth
- Englishearliest quotation 1610–1611zenith
Earliest quotation: 1610–1611, William Shakespeare, The Tempest: “I find my zenith doth depend upon / A…”
The story
The -ni- for -m- is sometimes thought to be due to a misreading of the three strokes, which is plausible, though it could be a mere phonetic approximation.
Linked words
through Arabic سَمْت ‘direction, path’
Today it means
noun The point in the sky vertically above a given position or observer; the point in the celestial sphere opposite the nadir.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Arabic سَمْت / zenith