ceiling

ceiling

1. the inner upper surface of a room

2. 

a. an upper limit, such as one set by regulation on prices or wages

b. (as modifier): ceiling prices

3. the upper altitude to which an aircraft can climb measured under specified conditions

4. Meteorol the highest level in the atmosphere from which the earth's surface is visible at a particular time, usually the base of a cloud layer

5. a wooden or metal surface fixed to the interior frames of a vessel for rigidity

Collins Discovery Encyclopedia, 1st edition © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

Ceiling

The undercovering of a roof or floor; generally concealing the structural members from the room or roof above, or the underside surface. It may have a flat or curved surface, and be self-supporting, suspended from the floor above, or supported from hidden or exposed beams.

exposed ceiling

A ceiling in which all the structural and mechanical systems are left exposed, either in their natural state or painted.

false ceiling

A ceiling suspended or hung from the floor above, which hides the underneath structure and provides a space for the mechanical systems, wires and ducts.

luminous ceiling

A system in which the whole ceiling is translucent with lamps that are installed above and suspended from a structural ceiling.

suspended ceiling

A nonstructural ceiling suspended below the overhead structural slab or from the structural elements of a building and not bearing on the walls.

Illustrated Dictionary of Architecture Copyright © 2012, 2002, 1998 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved

The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.

Ceiling

 

the overhead inside lining of a room; a group of structural elements forming a secondary covering that is suspended from the roof.

Ceilings’ may be smooth or have projecting ribs, coffers, or other sculptured details. Smooth ceilings may or may not cover beams. They are made from plaster, boards, or sheeting materials. Suspended ceilings are used mainly to provide better sound absorption and to increase the sound insulation of the roof. They also conceal ventilation ducts, heating pipes, and electrical wiring. Such ceilings are used as decorative elements in interior design.

In modern mass-scale housing construction, the smoothing of seams and painting constitute the principal method for finishing ceilings made of slabs and panels. In public buildings, ceilings are more and more often being faced with slab materials having good acoustic properties. Such materials include perforated aluminum panels and porous plasterboard with a sound-absorbent fiberglass layer. In a room whose ceiling serves as an element of interior design, more decorative painted or sculptured finishes are used.

Z. A. KAZBEK-KAZIEV

The Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 3rd Edition (1970-1979). © 2010 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.

ceiling

[′sē·liŋ]

(building construction)

The covering made of plaster, boards, or other material that constitutes the overhead surface in a room.

(mathematics)

The smallest integer that is equal to or greater than a given real number a ; symbolized ⌈ a ⌉.

(meteorology)

In the United States, the height ascribed to the lowest layer of clouds or of obscuring phenomena when it is reported as broken, overcast, or obscuration and not classified as thin or partial.

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms, 6E, Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

ceiling

The overhead surface of a room, usually a covering or decorative treatment used to conceal the floor above or the roof.

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Architecture and Construction. Copyright © 2003 by McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

ceiling

i. The height above the ground or water of the base of the lowest layer of cloud below 6000 m (20,000 ft), covering more than half the sky (ICAO). The term also refers to the vertical visibility in a surface-based layer that completely obscures the whole sky, whichever is lesser.
ii. The highest pressure altitude that can be reached by an aircraft, excepting a zoom climb. At this altitude, the aircraft rate of climb is zero. Also called absolute ceiling.

An Illustrated Dictionary of Aviation Copyright © 2005 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved