zenitfer, n.

zenitfer
http://www.oed.com/dictionary/zenitfer_n%3Ftab%3Dmeaning_and_use
Revised 2018

# zenitfernoun

## Factsheet

### What does the noun zenitfer mean?

There is one meaning in OED's entry for the noun zenitfer. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definition, usage, and quotation evidence.

### How is the noun zenitfer pronounced?

#### British English

/ˈzɛnɪtfə/
ZEN-it-fuh
/ˈziːnɪtfə/
ZEE-nit-fuh

#### U.S. English

/ˈzinᵻtfər/
ZEE-nuht-fuhr

### Where does the noun zenitfer come from?

Earliest known use

late 1500s

The earliest known use of the noun zenitfer is in the late 1500s.

OED's earliest evidence for zenitfer is from 1596, in the writing of John Blagrave, mathematician.

zenitfer is formed within English, by compounding.

Etymons: zenith n., ‑fer comb. form.

### Nearby entries

1. Zendician, n. a1833–66
2. Zendicism, n. 1697–
3. Zendish, adj. & n. 1802–1921
4. Zendist, n. 1877–1907
5. zendo, n. 1914–
6. Zener, n.¹ 1934–
7. Zener, n.² 1949–
8. Zengakuren, n. 1950–
9. Zen garden, n. 1937–
10. zenick, n. 1801–1900
11. zenitfer, n.1596–
12. zenith, n. & adj. a1387–
13. zenithal, adj.?1731–
14. zenithal projection, n. 1877–
15. zenith-borne, adj. 1865–86
16. zenith distance, n. 1588–
17. zenith line, n. 1585–
18. zenith point, n. 1585–
19. zenith sector, n. 1775–
20. zenith sweep, n. 1790–
21. zenith telescope, n. 1803–

## Etymology

### Summary

Formed within English, by compounding.
< zenith n. + ‑fer comb. form.

## Meaning & use

Astronomy Now historical and rare.

1. 1596–
   A part of an astrolabe used for measuring zenith distances.
   1. 1596

      > This Astrolabe hath three generall partes, that is to say, the Celestiall, the Zenitfer with his Cursor, and the Almicantifer with his Pointer.

      J. Blagrave, Astrolabium Vranicum i. sig. B1
   2. 1596

      > As farre as the Zenithfer will giue leaue.

      J. Blagrave, Astrolabium Vranicum i. sig. B 1 b
   3. 1929

      > The scales on the Zenitfer are so elaborate..that I doubt whether any one would ever have been able to reconstruct them.

      Archaeologia vol. 29 68
   4. 1980

      > At the top is an unusual revolving rule, or zenitfer, used for astrolabe calculations.

      Map Collector No. 10. 6/1
   astronomy historical
   1. zenitfer 1596–
      A part of an astrolabe used for measuring zenith distances.
   View in Historical Thesaurus

## Pronunciation

### British English

/ˈzɛnɪtfə/
ZEN-it-fuh
/ˈziːnɪtfə/
ZEE-nit-fuh

### U.S. English

/ˈzinᵻtfər/
ZEE-nuht-fuhr

####

##### Consonants

- ppea
- ttea
- kkey
- bbuy
- ddye
- ɡguy
- tʃchore
- dʒjay
- ffore
- θthaw
- ssore
- ʃshore
- vvee
- ðthee
- zzee
- ʒbeige
- xloch
- hhay
- llay
- ɬrhingyll
- rray
- wway
- jyore
- mmay
- nnay
- ŋsing

Some consonants can take the function of the vowel in unstressed syllables. Where necessary, a syllabic marker diacritic is used, hence /ˈpɛtl/ but /ˈpɛtl̩i/.

##### Vowels

- iːfleece
- ihappy
- ɪkit
- ɛdress
- atrap, bath
- ɑːstart, palm, bath
- ɒlot
- ɔːthought, force
- ʌstrut
- ʊfoot
- uːgoose
- əletter
- əːnurse
- ɪənear
- ɛːsquare
- ʊəcure
- eɪface
- ʌɪpride
- aʊmouth
- əʊgoat
- ɔɪvoice
- ãgratin
- ɒ̃salon
- ᵻ(/ɪ/-/ə/)
- ᵿ(/ʊ/-/ə/)

##### Other symbols

- The symbol ˈ at the beginning of a syllable indicates that that syllable is pronounced with primary stress.
- The symbol ˌ at the beginning of a syllable indicates that that syllable is pronounced with secondary stress.
- Round brackets ( ) in a transcription indicate that the symbol within the brackets is optional.

View the pronunciation model here.

####

##### Consonants

- ppea
- ttea
- kkey
- bbuy
- ddye*
- ɡguy
- tʃchore
- dʒjay
- ffore
- θthaw
- ssore
- ʃshore
- vvee
- ðthee
- zzee
- ʒbeige
- xloch
- hhay
- llay
- rray
- wway
- jyore
- mmay
- nnay
- ŋsing

* /d/ also represents a 'tapped' /t/ as in

Some consonants can take the function of the vowel in unstressed syllables. Where necessary, a syllabic marker diacritic is used, hence /ˈpɛd(ə)l/ but /ˈpɛdl̩i/.

##### Vowels

- ifleece, happy
- ɪkit
- ɛdress
- ætrap, bath
- ɑlot, palm, cloth, thought
- ɑrstart
- ɔcloth, thought
- ɔrnorth, force
- ʊfoot
- ugoose
- əstrut, comma
- ərnurse, letter
- ɪ(ə)rnear
- ɛ(ə)rsquare
- ʊ(ə)rcure
- eɪface
- aɪpride
- aʊmouth
- oʊgoat
- ɔɪvoice
- ɑ̃gratin
- æ̃salon
- ᵻ(/ɪ/-/ə/)
- ᵿ(/ʊ/-/ə/)

##### Other symbols

- The symbol ˈ at the beginning of a syllable indicates that that syllable is pronounced with primary stress.
- The symbol ˌ at the beginning of a syllable indicates that that syllable is pronounced with secondary stress.
- Round brackets ( ) in a transcription indicate that the symbol within the brackets is optional.

View the pronunciation model here.

####

Simple text respell breaks words into syllables, separated by a hyphen. The syllable which carries the primary stress is written in capital letters. This key covers both British and U.S. English Simple Text Respell.

##### Consonants

b, d, f, h, k, l, m, n, p, r, s, t, v, w and z have their standard English values

- gguy
- jjay
- yyore
- chchore
- khloch
- shshore
- ththaw
- dhthee
- zhbeige

##### Vowels

- atrap
- ahpalm
- airsquare
- arstart
- arrcarry (British only)
- awthought
- ayface
- a(ng)gratin
- edress
- eefleece
- eerdeer
- errmerry
- ikit
- ighpride
- irrmirror
- olot (British only)
- ohgoat
- oogoose
- oorcure
- orforce
- orrsorry (British only)
- owmouth
- oyvoice
- o(ng)salon
- ustrut
- uhletter
- urnurse
- urrhurry
- uufoot

## Forms

### Variant forms

1. 1500s
   zenithfer
2. 1500s; 1900s–
   zenitfer

Originally published as part of the entry for zenith, n. & adj.

zenitfer, n. was revised in June 2018.

zenitfer, n. was last modified in July 2023.