Message: "Re: what's behind the name Nadira"

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Re: what's behind the name Nadira

by Andy ;—) (guest)

3/9/2005, 2:10 AM

Just click on NADIRA
Oxford adds "precious" as a meaning (as you say), but does not give any hints concerning famous bearers.
In modern Hebrew the word "nadir" also means "rare", but it's also the word for "zenith".

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- Anneza (guest) +2

3/9/2005, 5:44 AM

That's really odd, Andy! In English the nadir is the lowest point in the (spherical) sky, the exact opposite of the zenith, and we use it figuratively as well with that meaning: his popularity reached its nadir after he was caught lip-synching (or whatever).

- Andy ;—) (guest) +1

3/9/2005, 6:45 AM

I suppose you are right and in modern Hebrew it's just the same as in English. This is probably due to my bad Hebrew: I was using my big Hebrew-Hebrew dictionay (Even-Shoshan) and had little time. So it's the "opposite" (this is the literal meaning of the Arabic word according to the Oxford Concise Dictionary of English Etymology) of the zenith really. Thanks for the correction.
(Nadir is also a German word, I just found out.)

Andy ;—)

- Anneza (guest)

3/9/2005, 10:34 PM

Glad to know that. In New Zealand they print maps of the world with the South Pole on top ... and I was wondering if the Israelis had a similar system!

And don't apologise for your Hebrew - it exists; mine doesn't!

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