Ceil

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /siːl/

Definitions

1. The top boundary or highest point allowed in a range or limit ; a mathematical function that rounds a number up to the nearest whole number or integer
2. The maximum allowable level or ceiling placed on something ; the operation in mathematics that increases a value to the next integer higher than or equal to it
3. An imposed maximum or highest limit on an amount or degree ; a concept in math where a given decimal or fraction is rounded upward to the smallest following integer

Etymology: The verb "ceil" is a shortened form of "ceiling," and it is the word for rounding a number up to the next whole value. Its history in English runs through the noun it was cut from, and that noun was itself shaped by a French word for "sky" that looked, but was not directly related, to the Latin root meaning "to hide." The noun "ceiling" began as a covering for a room's upper surface, and the sense of a fixed upper limit, such as a price or a height an aircraft can reach, grew from that architectural idea. The clipped form "ceil" came from the same family of terms, and English speakers used it to mean something close to "to line or cover an overhead surface" before the mathematical sense of rounding up took hold. The verb's arithmetic use comes from the idea of reaching the upper bound. The word's ending was also shaped by the French "ciel," meaning "sky" or "heaven," which influenced the spelling. The resemblance to Latin "cēlō," meaning "to hide," is a possible but uncertain connection, so the most secure picture is a noun for an overhead covering that was clipped into a verb and then given its numerical sense.

Synonyms: cover, roof