Heyday

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈheɪdeɪ/

Definitions

1. The period of greatest success, popularity, or power in someone's or something's existence
2. A phase marked by the maximum success, influence, or vitality of an individual or entity is often described as a pinnacle period
3. A time characterized by the highest levels of success, enthusiasm, and prominence for a person or entity often referred to as a peak era

Etymology: The most surprising thing about "heyday" is that its first half was never a day at all. It began in the late 1500s as "heyda," an exclamation of joy or excitement, related to the familiar "hey" and to the Swedish "hej då," meaning "goodbye." Nobody set out to coin a noun; the cry simply hung in the language as a sound of high spirits. The modern sense of a peak of success or vigour came later, once speakers heard the second half as the ordinary word "day," meaning a period of time. A phrase like "in the heyday of his youth" would then read as "in the day of excitement," and the spelling and meaning settled around that sense. The word thus gained its meaning through a reinterpretation of its parts, much like "day in the sun" describes a stretch of fortune.

Synonyms: prime, glory days, peak, zenith, heydey

Antonyms: decline, downturn