Zenith

Zenith \ZEE-nith\ or \ZEN-ith\ , noun;
1. The point on the celestial sphere vertically above a given position or observer
2. A highest point or state; culmination

In yesterday's post on tine the German word Zinne came up. It means "pinnacle" so I thought that it might have something to do with zenith. Nope.

Zenith dates to the late 14th century from Old French cenith, which came from Middle Latin cenit. Cenit is a mangled transliteration of Arabic samt ("road, path"), which is an abbreviation of samt ar-ras (literally "the way over the head"). There is a classical Latin word semita ("sidetrack, side path") that may have influenced the form in Middle Latin.