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“zeniths”
1. The point in the sky directly above an individual: John looked up into the sky after dark and saw the moon at its zenith.
2. High point, peak, best moment: Being elected mayor was the zenith of Bill's political career.
3. Most successful, peak, greatest success: The United States was at its zenith before Donald Trump became President.
4. Etymology: from Arabic samt, "path over the head". The Arabic samt became the English zenith because a medieval scribe copied the word samt incorrectly, making it "senit", which became our zenith.
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2. High point, peak, best moment: Being elected mayor was the zenith of Bill's political career.
3. Most successful, peak, greatest success: The United States was at its zenith before Donald Trump became President.
4. Etymology: from Arabic samt, "path over the head". The Arabic samt became the English zenith because a medieval scribe copied the word samt incorrectly, making it "senit", which became our zenith.
Another explanation: about 1387, from Old French cenith then French zénith; which came from Medieval Latin (Latin as written and spoken c.700-c.1500) cenit, senit, a bungled scribal transliteration of Arabic samt, "road, path"; an abbreviation of samt ar-ras, literally, "the way over the head".
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Astronomy and related astronomical terms
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English Words in Action, Group Z
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