a room, storage area, or the like within a sloping roof; attic; garret.
2.
a gallery or upper level in a church, hall, etc., designed for a special purpose: a choir loft.
3.
a hayloft.
4.
an upper story of a business building, warehouse, or factory, typically consisting of open, unpartitioned floor area.
5.
such an upper story converted or adapted to any of various uses, as quarters for living, studios for artists or dancers, exhibition galleries, or theater space.
6.
Also called loft bed.a balcony or platform built over a living area and used esp. for sleeping.
7.
Chiefly Midland and Southern U.S.an attic.
8.
Golf.
a.
the slope of the face of the head of a club backward from the vertical, tending to drive the ball upward.
b.
the act of lofting.
c.
a lofting stroke.
9.
the resiliency of fabric or yarn, esp. wool.
10.
the thickness of a fabric or of insulation used in a garment, as a down-filled jacket.
–verb (used with object)
11.
to hit or throw aloft: He lofted a fly ball into center field.
12.
Golf.
a.
to slant the face of (a club).
b.
to hit (a golf ball) into the air or over an obstacle.
c.
to clear (an obstacle) in this manner.
13.
to store in a loft.
14.
Shipbuilding. to form or describe (the lines of a hull) at full size, as in a mold loft; lay off.
15.
Archaic. to provide (a house, barn, etc.) with a loft.
–verb (used without object)
16.
to hit or throw something aloft, esp. a ball.
17.
to go high into the air when hit, as a ball.
[Origin: bef. 1000; ME lofte (n.), late OE loft < ON lopt upper chamber or region, the air, sky. See lift]
"an upper chamber," c.1300, from late O.E. loft "air," from O.N. lopt "air, sky," originally "upper story, loft, attic" (Scand. -pt- pronounced like -ft-), from P.Gmc. *luftuz "air, sky" (cf. O.E. lyft, Du. lucht, O.H.G. luft, Ger. Luft, Goth. luftus "air"). Sense development is from "loft, ceiling" to "sky, air." Buck suggests ult. connection with O.H.G. louft "bark," louba "roof, attic," etc., with development from "bark" to "roof made of bark" to "ceiling," though this did not directly inform the meaning "air, sky." Meaning "gallery in a church" first attested 1504. Verb meaning "to hit a ball high in the air" is first attested 1857, originally in golf. Lofty "exalted" is from 14c.
A*loft"\ (?; 115), adv. [Pref. a- + loft, which properly meant air. See Loft.]1. On high; in the air; high above the ground. "He steers his flight aloft." --Milton. 2. (Naut.) In the top; at the mast head, or on the higher yards or rigging; overhead; hence (Fig. and Colloq.), in or to heaven.
Lift\ (l[i^]ft), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Lifted; p. pr. & vb. n. Lifting.] [Icel. lypta, fr. lopt air; akin to Sw. lyfta to lift, Dan. l["o]fte, G. l["u]ften; -- prop., to raise into the air. See Loft, and cf. 1st Lift.]1. To move in a direction opposite to that of gravitation; to raise; to elevate; to bring up from a lower place to a higher; to upheave; sometimes implying a continued support or holding in the higher place; -- said of material things; as, to lift the foot or the hand; to lift a chair or a burden. 2. To raise, elevate, exalt, improve, in rank, condition, estimation, character, etc.; -- often with up. The Roman virtues lift up mortal man. --Addison. Lest, being lifted up with pride. --1 Tim. iii. 6. 3. To bear; to support. [Obs.] --Spenser. 4. To collect, as moneys due; to raise. 5. [Perh. a different word, and akin to Goth. hliftus thief, hlifan to steal, L. clepere, Gr. kle`ptein. Cf. Shoplifter.] To steal; to carry off by theft (esp. cattle); as, to lift a drove of cattle. Note: In old writers, lift is sometimes used for lifted. He ne'er lift up his hand but conquered. --Shak. To lift up, to raise or elevate; in the Scriptures, specifically, to elevate upon the cross. --John viii. 28. To lift up the eyes. To look up; to raise the eyes, as in prayer. --Ps. cxxi. 1. To lift up the feet, to come speedily to one's relief. --Ps. lxxiv. 3. To lift up the hand. (a) To take an oath. --Gen. xiv. 22. (b) To pray. --Ps. xxviii. 2. (c) To engage in duty. --Heb. xii. 12. To lift up the hand against, to rebel against; to assault; to attack; to injure; to oppress. --Job xxxi. 21. To lift up one's head, to cause one to be exalted or to rejoice. --Gen. xl. 13. --Luke xxi. 28. To lift up the heel against, to treat with insolence or unkindness. --John xiii.18. To lift up the voice, to cry aloud; to call out. --Gen. xxi. 16.
Loft\, n. [Icel. lopt air, heaven, loft, upper room; akin to AS. lyft air, G. luft, Dan. loft loft, Goth. luftus air. Cf. Lift, v. & n. ] That which is lifted up; an elevation. Hence, especially: (a) The room or space under a roof and above the ceiling of the uppermost story. (b) A gallery or raised apartment in a church, hall, etc.; as, an organ loft. (c) A floor or room placed above another; a story. Eutychus . . . fell down from the third loft. --Acts xx. 9. On loft, aloft; on high. Cf. Onloft. [Obs.] --Chaucer.
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