Ceiling definition | Dictionary.com

Synonyms

limitation, maximum, acme, covering, dome, lid, limit, plaster, roof, beam, canopy, covert

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Ceiling - 6 dictionary results

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ceil⋅ing

[see-ling]

–noun

1.	the overhead interior surface of a room.

2.	the top limit imposed by law on the amount of money that can be charged or spent or the quantity of goods that can be produced or sold.

Aeronautics.

a.	the maximum altitude from which the earth can be seen on a particular day, usually equal to the distance between the earth and the base of the lowest cloud bank.

b.	Also called absolute ceiling. the maximum altitude at which a particular aircraft can operate under specified conditions.

4.	Meteorology. the height above ground level of the lowest layer of clouds that cover more than half of the sky.

5.	a lining applied for structural reasons to a framework, esp. in the interior surfaces of a ship or boat.

6.	Also called ceiling piece. Theater. the ceiling or top of an interior set, made of cloth, a flat, or two or more flats hinged together.

7.	the act or work of a person who makes or finishes a ceiling.

8.	vaulting, as in a medieval church.

—Idiom

9.	hit the ceiling, Informal. to become enraged: When he saw the amount of the bill, he hit the ceiling.

Origin:
1350–1400, for def. 7; ME; see ceil, -ing ¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
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Language Translation for : Ceiling

Spanish:

techo,

German:

die Decke,

Japanese:

天井

View 30 other languages »

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ceil (sēl) Pronunciation Key
tr.v. ceiled, ceil·ing, ceils

To provide or cover with a ceiling.
Nautical To provide (a ship) with interior planking or lining.

[Middle English celen, probably from Old French *celer, from Latin caelāre, to carve, from caelum, chisel; see Caelum.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

ceil·ing (sē'lĭng) Pronunciation Key
n.

1. The upper interior surface of a room.
2. Material used to cover this surface.
3. The highest altitude under particular weather conditions from which the ground is still visible.
4. The altitude of the lowest layer of clouds.
5. Absolute ceiling.
Something resembling a ceiling: a ceiling of leaves over the arbor.
An upper limit, especially as set by regulation: wage and price ceilings.
1. The highest altitude under particular weather conditions from which the ground is still visible.
2. The altitude of the lowest layer of clouds.
3. Absolute ceiling.
Nautical The planking applied to the interior framework of a ship.

[Middle English celing, from celen, to ceil; see ceil.]

ceil'inged adj.

ceiling

c.1348, celynge, "paneling, any interior surface of a building," from M.Fr. celer "to conceal, cover with paneling" from L. celare (see cell), probably influenced by L. cælum "heaven, sky." Colloquial phrase hit the ceiling "lose one's temper" is 1914.

ceiling
noun
1.	the overhead upper surface of a covered space; "he hated painting the ceiling"
2.	(meteorology) altitude of the lowest layer of clouds
3.	an upper limit on what is allowed; "he put a ceiling on the number of women who worked for him"; "there was a roof on salaries"; "they established a cap for prices"
4.	maximum altitude at which a plane can fly (under specified conditions)

Ceiling

Ceil\ (s[=e]l), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Ceiled (s[=e]ld); p. pr. & vb. n. Ceiling.] [From an older noun, fr. F. ciel heaven, canopy, fr. L. caelum heaven, vault, arch, covering; cf. Gr. koi^los hollow.]

1. To overlay or cover the inner side of the roof of; to furnish with a ceiling; as, to ceil a room.

The greater house he ceiled with fir tree. --2 Chron. iii. 5

2. To line or finish a surface, as of a wall, with plaster, stucco, thin boards, or the like.