vault

      WOTD – 4 December 2008    

      English

      Wikipedia has an article on:

      Wikipedia

      A vault scheme

      Pronunciation

      Etymology 1

      From Old French volte (modern voûte), from Vulgar Latin volvita, an a regularization of voluta (compare modern volute (“spire”)), the past participle of volvere (“roll, turn”).

      Noun

      vault (plural vaults)

      1. An arched structure of masonry, forming a ceiling or canopy.
      2. A structure resembling a vault, especially (poetic) that formed by the sky.
        • 1985, God said, ‘Let there be a vault through the middle of the waters to divide the waters in two.’ — Genesis 1:6 (New Jerusalem Bible)
      3. A secure, enclosed area, especially an underground room used for burial, or to store valuables, wine etc.
        The bank kept their money safe in a large vault.
        Family members had been buried in the vault for centuries.
      Derived terms
      • oblique vault
      • octopartite vault
      • panel vault
      • polygonal vault
      • quadripartite vault
      • quinquepartite vault
      • ribbed vault
      • segmental vault
      • septempartite vault
      • sexpartite vault
      • star vault
      • stilted vault
      • tripartite vault
      • Welsh vault
      Translations
      an arched masonry structure
      a structure resembling a vault
      a secure, enclosed area
      The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.
      Translations to be checked

      Verb

      vault (third-person singular simple present vaults, present participle vaulting, simple past and past participle vaulted)

      1. (transitive) To build as, or cover with a vault.
        • Sir Walter Scott
          The shady arch that vaulted the broad green alley.
      Translations
      to build as or cover with vault

      Etymology 2

      From Middle French volter (“to turn or spin around; to frolic”), borrowed from Italian voltare, itself from a Vulgar Latin frequentative form of Latin volvere; later assimilated to Etymology 1, above.

      Verb

      vault (third-person singular simple present vaults, present participle vaulting, simple past and past participle vaulted)

      1. (transitive, intransitive) To jump or leap over.
        The fugitive vaulted over the fence to escape.
      Derived terms
      Translations
      to jump

      Noun

      vault (plural vaults)

      1. An act of vaulting; a leap or jump.
      2. (gymnastics) An event in gymanstics performed on a vaulting horse.
      Translations
      a jump
      gymnastics event

      See also

      ↑Jump back a section
      Last modified on 16 June 2013, at 17:50