ceiling

ceiling
\ \ [14] Ceiling is something of a mystery word. It originally signified the internal lining of any part of a building, including walls as well as roof (the modern sense ‘overhead inside surface of a room’ began to crystallize out in the 16th century), and the material of which it was made took in wooden planks and even tapestry hangings, as well as plaster. But where it comes from is not at all clear. It has no apparent relations in other modern European languages, and the likeliest candidate as a source may be Latin caelārecarve, engrave’. This is perhaps endorsed by an item in the accounts of the Lord High Treasurer of Scotland, 1497, revealing how a ‘carver’ was paid £2 14s for ‘the ceiling of the chapel’ – an indication that the underlying notion of ceiling may be ‘carved internal surface of a room’.

Word origins - 2ed. . 2005.

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  • ceiling — 1. Ceiling has been used by government departments and administrators since the 1930s to mean ‘an upper limit’ (as in a ceiling on prices), and is sometimes contrasted with floor, which is a lower limit. As with target, care needs to be taken not …   Modern English usage

  • Ceiling — Ceil ing, n. [See {Cell}, v. t.] 1. (Arch.) (a) The inside lining of a room overhead; the under side of the floor above; the upper surface opposite to the floor. (b) The lining or finishing of any wall or other surface, with plaster, thin boards …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Ceiling — bezeichnet: Hauptwolkenuntergrenze (engl. ceiling), ein meteorologischer Begriff Ceiling Effekt in der Pharmakologie oder empirischen Sozialwissenschaft Diese Seite ist eine Begriffsklärung zur Unterscheidung mehrerer mit de …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • ceiling — I noun acme, altitude, apex, apogee, climax, culmination, extreme, extremity, farthest point, height, highest degree, highest point, limit, maximum, optimum, peak, pinnacle, record, roof, summit, tectum, top, ultimate, utmost, utmost extent,… …   Law dictionary

  • ceiling — [sē′liŋ] n. [< CEIL] 1. the inside top part or covering of a room, opposite the floor 2. any overhanging expanse seen from below 3. an upper limit set on anything, as by official regulation [a ceiling on prices] 4. Aeron. a) a cover …   English World dictionary

  • ceiling — mid 14c., celynge, paneling, any interior surface of a building, noun formed (with ING (Cf. ing)) from M.E. borrowing of M.Fr. verb celer to conceal, cover with paneling (12c.), from L. celare (see CELL (Cf. cell)); probably influenced by L.… …   Etymology dictionary

  • ceiling — [n1] top of a room baldachin, beam, canopy, covert, dome, fan vaulting, groin, highest point, housetop, plafond, planchement, plaster, roof, roofing, timber, topside covering; concept 440 Ant. floor ceiling [n2] maximum legal price, record,… …   New thesaurus

  • ceiling — ► NOUN 1) the upper inside surface of a room. 2) an upper limit set on prices, wages, or expenditure. 3) the maximum altitude an aircraft can reach. ORIGIN from obsolete ceil line or plaster the roof of (a building) , perhaps from Latin celare… …   English terms dictionary

  • Ceiling — For other uses, see Ceiling (disambiguation). A ceiling (pronounced /ˈsiːlɪŋ/) is an overhead interior surface that covers the upper limit of a room. It is generally not a structural element, but a finished surface concealing the underside of the …   Wikipedia

  • ceiling — An upper limit for a variable. For example, an adjustable rate mortgage may have a ceiling of 10 percent. In this case, the rate can be adjusted however the loan terms provide without exceeding 10 percent. Also called a cap. American Banker… …   Financial and business terms

  • ceiling — noun 1 top surface inside a room ADJECTIVE ▪ high, low, tall (AmE) ▪ cathedral (= a high ceiling with open space up to the roof) (AmE), domed, sloped (AmE), sloping (BrE) …   Collocations dictionary

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