ceiling English · revision 7236

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=derivation|attested=1347}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /ˈsiːlɪŋ/ ''(UK)''; /ˈsilɪŋ/ ''(US)''^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is Middle English celynge, from the verb [[ceil]], to cover or panel, and [[-ing]].^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988)^(MWU 2024)^(NODE 1998) Ceil is from Middle French celer, cieler,^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline) which Etymonline takes from Latin [[m|la|celo|alt=cēlāre|t=to hide]], probably influenced by Latin caelum, heaven, sky,^(Etymonline)^(Cresswell 2021) while Barnhart derives it from ciel, canopy, sky, from [[m|la|caelum|t=sky]].^(Barnhart 1988)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ The act of lining or panelling a room: 1347–48, the mid-14th century in Etymonline;^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline) the panelling itself about 1380.^(Barnhart 1988)^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ Word Origins notes that the -ing ending reflects that it was originally an action.^(Cresswell 2021) The wooden lining of walls led to lath-and-plaster work,^(Etymonline) and the overhead surface of a room is from 1535, in Coverdale's Bible;^(Barnhart 1988)^(OED 1989) by the late 19th century the sense ''wainscoting'' survived only in provincial English.^(Etymonline) In aviation, the maximum height an aircraft can reach, and an upper limit set on prices or wages (1934), are 20th-century senses.^(AHD)^(Etymonline) ''Hit the ceiling'', to lose one's temper, is by 1908,^(Etymonline) and ''glass ceiling'', an invisible barrier to women's advancement, from 1988.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 1347 – panelling a room.^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * c. 1380 – panelling.^(Barnhart 1988)^(OED 1989)

+ * 1535 – the top of a room.^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * 1908 – hit the ceiling.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1934 – an upper limit.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1988 – glass ceiling.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Noun===

+ # The upper inside surface of a [[room]].^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # An upper limit, as on prices or wages.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # The maximum height at which an aircraft can fly.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # The height of the cloud base above the ground.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[ceilinged]]

+ * [[ceil]]

+ * [[subceiling]]

+ * [[absolute ceiling]]

+ * [[cathedral ceiling]]

+ * [[glass ceiling]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[celestial]]

+ * [[conceal]]

+ * [[cell]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}