Some 16th-century Italian clergymen tried to ban coffee because they believed it to be “satanic.” However, Pope Clement VII loved coffee so much that he lifted the ban and had coffee baptized in 1600.
NADIR
nadir
(noun) the point below the observer that is directly opposite the zenith on the imaginary sphere against which celestial bodies appear to be projected
nadir, low-water mark
(noun) an extreme state of adversity; the lowest point of anything
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology
Proper noun
Nadir
A male given name.
A surname.
Anagrams
• Darin, Drain, Drina, Indra, Nardi, Ndari, Radin, dinar, drain, ranid
Etymology
Noun
nadir (plural nadirs)
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.
Antonym: zenith
(figuratively) The lowest point; time of greatest depression.
Synonyms: lowest ebb, slough of despond, trough, bathos
Antonyms: height, peak
(astronomy) The axis of a projected conical shadow; the direction of the force of gravity at a location; down.
Synonym: down
(beekeeping, archaic) An empty box added beneath a full one in a beehive to give the colony more room to expand or store honey.
Antonyms: duplet, super
Verb
nadir (third-person singular simple present nadirs, present participle nadiring, simple past and past participle nadired)
(transitive, beekeeping) To extend (a beehive) by adding an empty box at the base.
Anagrams
• Darin, Drain, Drina, Indra, Nardi, Ndari, Radin, dinar, drain, ranid
Source: Wiktionary
Na"dir, n. Etym: [F., Sp., & It. nadir; all fr. Ar. nasiru's samt nadir, prop., the point opposite the zenith (as samt), in which nasir means alike, corresponding to. Cf. Azimuth, Zenith.]
1. That point of the heavens, or lower hemisphere, directly opposite the zenith; the inferior pole of the horizon; the point of the celestial sphere directly under the place where we stand.
2. The lowest point; the time of greatest depression. The seventh century is the nadir of the human mind in Europe. Hallam. Nadir of the sun (Astron.), the axis of the conical shadow projected by the earth. Crabb.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
Recent Word Finds
Word of the Day
23 January 2025
LEFT
(adjective) being or located on or directed toward the side of the body to the west when facing north; “my left hand”; “left center field”; “the left bank of a river is bank on your left side when you are facing downstream”
Coffee Trivia
