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vault - 10 dictionary results

vault

1[vawlt] ,
–noun
1. an arched structure, usually made of stones, concrete, or bricks, forming a ceiling or roof over a hall, room, sewer, or other wholly or partially enclosed construction.
2. an arched structure resembling a vault.
3. a space, chamber, or passage enclosed by a vault or vaultlike structure, esp. one located underground.
4. an underground chamber, as a cellar or a division of a cellar.
5. a room or compartment, often built of or lined with steel, reserved for the storage and safekeeping of valuables, esp. such a place in a bank.
6. a strong metal cabinet, usually fireproof and burglarproof, for the storage and safekeeping of valuables, important papers, etc.
7. a burial chamber.
8. Anatomy. an arched roof of a cavity.
9. something likened to an arched roof: the vault of heaven.
–verb (used with object)
10. to construct or cover with a vault.
11. to make in the form of a vault; arch.
12. to extend or stretch over in the manner of an arch; overarch: An arbor vaulted the path.
13. to store in a vault: The paintings will be vaulted when the museum is closed.
–verb (used without object)
14. to curve or bend in the form of a vault.

Origin:
1300–50; (n.) alter. of ME voute < OF vou(l)te, volte < VL *volvita, for L volūta, n. use of fem. ptp. of L volvere to turn (see revolve ); (v.) alter. of ME vouten < OF vou(l)ter, volter, deriv. of vou(l)te, volte


vaultlike, adjective

vault

2[vawlt] ,
–verb (used without object)
1. to leap or spring, as to or from a position or over something: He vaulted over the tennis net.
2. to leap with the hands supported by something, as by a horizontal pole.
3. Gymnastics. to leap over a vaulting or pommel horse, using the hands for pushing off.
4. to arrive at or achieve something as if by a spring or leap: to vault into prominence.
–verb (used with object)
5. to leap over: to vault a fence.
6. to cause to leap over or surpass others: Advertising has vaulted the new perfume into first place.
–noun
7. the act of vaulting.
8. a leap of a horse; curvet.
9. Gymnastics. a running jump over a vaulting or pommel horse, usually finishing with an acrobatic dismount.

Origin:
1530–40; < F volte a turn and volter to turn, respectively < It volta (n.) and voltare (v.); see volt 2


vaulter, noun


1. See jump.
vault 1   (vôlt)   
n.  
    1. An arched structure, usually of masonry or concrete, serving to cover a space.
    2. An arched overhead covering, such as the sky, that resembles the architectural structure in form.
  1. A room or space, such as a cellar or storeroom, with arched walls and ceiling, especially when underground.
  2. A room or compartment, often built of steel, for the safekeeping of valuables: a bank vault.
  3. A burial chamber, especially when underground.
  4. Anatomy An arched part of the body, especially the top part of the skull.
tr.v.   vault·ed, vault·ing, vaults
  1. To construct or supply with an arched ceiling; cover with a vault.
  2. To build or make in the shape of a vault; arch.

[Middle English vaute, from Old French, from Vulgar Latin *volvita, volta, from feminine of *volvitus, arched, alteration of Latin volūtus, past participle of volvere, to roll; see wel-2 in Indo-European roots.]
vault 2   (vôlt)   
v.   vault·ed, vault·ing, vaults

v.   tr.
To jump or leap over, especially with the aid of a support such as the hands or a pole.
v.   intr.
  1. To jump or leap, especially with the use of the hands or a pole.
  2. To accomplish something as if by leaping suddenly or vigorously: vaulted into a position of wealth.
n.  The act of vaulting; a jump.

[Obsolete French volter, from Old French, from Old Italian voltare, from Vulgar Latin *volvitāre, frequentative of Latin volvere, to turn, roll; see wel-2 in Indo-European roots.]
vault'er n.

Vault

Vault\ (v[add]lt; see Note, below), n. [OE. voute, OF. voute, volte, F. vo[^u]te, LL. volta, for voluta, volutio, fr. L. volvere, volutum, to roll, to turn about. See Voluble, and cf. Vault a leap, Volt a turn, Volute.]

1. (Arch.) An arched structure of masonry, forming a ceiling or canopy.

The long-drawn aisle and fretted vault. --Gray.

2. An arched apartment; especially, a subterranean room, use for storing articles, for a prison, for interment, or the like; a cell; a cellar. "Charnel vaults." --Milton.

The silent vaults of death. --Sandys.

To banish rats that haunt our vault. --Swift.

3. The canopy of heaven; the sky.

That heaven's vault should crack. --Shak.

4. [F. volte, It. volta, originally, a turn, and the same word as volta an arch. See the Etymology above.] A leap or bound. Specifically: (a) (Man.) The bound or leap of a horse; a curvet. (b) A leap by aid of the hands, or of a pole, springboard, or the like.

Note: The l in this word was formerly often suppressed in pronunciation.

Barrel, Cradle, Cylindrical, or Wagon, vault (Arch.), a kind of vault having two parallel abutments, and the same section or profile at all points. It may be rampant, as over a staircase (see Rampant vault, under Rampant), or curved in plan, as around the apse of a church.

Coved vault. (Arch.) See under 1st Cove, v. t.

Groined vault (Arch.), a vault having groins, that is, one in which different cylindrical surfaces intersect one another, as distinguished from a barrel, or wagon, vault.

Rampant vault. (Arch.) See under Rampant.

Ribbed vault (Arch.), a vault differing from others in having solid ribs which bear the weight of the vaulted surface. True Gothic vaults are of this character.

Vault light, a partly glazed plate inserted in a pavement or ceiling to admit light to a vault below.

Vault

Vault\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Vaulted; p. pr. & vb. n. Vaulting.] [OE. vouten, OF. volter, vouter, F. vo[^u]ter. See Vault an arch.]

1. To form with a vault, or to cover with a vault; to give the shape of an arch to; to arch; as, vault a roof; to vault a passage to a court.

The shady arch that vaulted the broad green alley. --Sir W. Scott.

2. [See Vault, v. i.] To leap over; esp., to leap over by aid of the hands or a pole; as, to vault a fence.

I will vault credit, and affect high pleasures. --Webster (1623).

Vault

Vault\, v. i. [Cf. OF. volter, F. voltiger, It. volt?re turn. See Vault, n., 4.]

1. To leap; to bound; to jump; to spring.

Vaulting ambition, which o'erleaps itself. --Shak.

Leaning on his lance, he vaulted on a tree. --Dryden.

Lucan vaulted upon Pegasus with all the heat and intrepidity of youth. --Addison.

2. To exhibit feats of tumbling or leaping; to tumble.
Language Translation for : vault
Spanish: sótano; bodega,
German: das Gewölbe,
Japanese: アーチ形天井

vault  (n.)
"arched roof or ceiling," c.1300, vaute, from O.Fr. voute "arch, vaulted roof," from V.L. *volta, contraction of *volvita, noun use of fem. of *volvitus, alteration of L. volutus "bowed, arched," pp. of volvere "to turn, turn around, roll" (see vulva). The -l- appeared in Eng. c.1400.

vault  (v.)
"jump or leap over," 1531 (implied in vaulting), from M.Fr. volter "to gambol, leap," from It. voltare "to turn," from V.L. *volvitare "to turn, leap," frequentative of L. volvere "to turn, turn around, roll" (see vulva).

Main Entry: vault
Pronunciation: 'volt, chiefly Brit 'vält
Function: noun
: an arched or dome-shaped anatomical structure: as a : SKULLCAP, CALVARIUM vault> b : FORNIX d
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