Etymology

ceiling

ceil·ing
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Today it means: The overhead closure of a room. Full definition →

Middle English celing ← Old French celer
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ceiling · noun1

  1. Old French · derived fromceler“to conceal”
  2. Middle English · inherited fromceling“paneling; (bed) cover or hanging”
  3. English todayceiling

From Middle English celing (“paneling; (bed) cover or hanging”), from celen (“to cover or panel walls”) (from Old French celer (“to conceal”)) + -ing (gerund-forming suffix). By surface analysis, ceil + -ing.

ceiling · verb2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.