# ceiling

Pronunciation: say "SEE-ling" US /ˈsilɪŋ/, UK /ˈsiːlɪŋ/

## Noun

1. The upper surface enclosing a room, opposite the floor and above the occupants.
   - Simple: The top surface of a room, above your head and opposite the floor.
   - _Water stains spread across the ceiling after the pipe burst upstairs._
   - _The cathedral's vaulted ceilings rose far above the worshippers below._
2. The maximum level beyond which something cannot or may not go.
   - Simple: The highest level that something is allowed to reach.
   - _Lawmakers debated raising the debt ceiling before the deadline arrived._
   - _Her ambition seemed to have no ceiling; she always wanted more._
3. The interior overhead surface forming the upper boundary of a room.
   - Simple: The flat surface that covers the top of a room indoors.
   - _The architect specified a coffered ceiling for the main hall._
   - _Acoustic panels were mounted to the ceiling to reduce the echo._
4. The maximum amount permitted in a financial transaction or arrangement.
   - Simple: The highest amount of money allowed in a deal or payment.
   - _Congress voted to raise the borrowing ceiling for the coming year._
   - _Interest charges on the loan were capped by a legal ceiling._
5. The maximum altitude at which an aircraft can safely sustain level flight.
   - Simple: The highest height at which a plane can safely fly.
   - _The aircraft's service ceiling was listed at forty-three thousand feet._
   - _Cargo planes rarely approach their operational ceiling on short routes._
6. The result of rounding a number up to an integer, leaving it unchanged if it is already an integer.
   - Simple: The smallest whole number that is equal to or bigger than a given number.
   - _The ceiling of 7.1 equals 8._
   - _Taking the ceiling of a negative number like −2.3 gives −2._
7. The vertical distance from ground or sea level up to the base of an overcast cloud layer, reported as unlimited when the sky is clear.
   - Simple: The height from the ground up to the lowest layer of clouds.
   - _The control tower reported a ceiling of eight hundred feet in steady drizzle._
   - _With a clear sky overnight, the ceiling was logged as unlimited._
8. The inner planking that lines the interior of a ship's hull.
   - Simple: The wooden boards lining the inside of a ship's hull.
   - _Shipwrights fastened the ceiling to the frames with iron spikes._
   - _Water had seeped behind the ceiling and rotted the timbers._

## Verb

9. Present participle of ceil. — present participle and gerund of ceil
   - Simple: Present participle of ceil. Use this form for the action while it is happening now.
   - _The crew was ceiling the dining room with carved oak panels._
   - _Plasterers spent the whole afternoon ceiling the chapel._

## Origin

It comes from Middle English celing ("paneling; a bed cover or hanging"), formed from celen ("to cover or panel walls") plus the suffix -ing. The verb celen itself came from Old French celer ("to conceal").

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/ceiling (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).