soffit

[ sof-it ]

/ ˈsɒf ɪt /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR soffit ON THESAURUS.COM

noun Architecture.

the underside of an architectural feature, as a beam, arch, ceiling, vault, or cornice.

RELATED WORDS

rim, sole, root, belly, underneath

Nearby words

Origin of soffit

1605–15; < French soffite < Italian soffitto < Vulgar Latin *suffīctus, for Latin suffīxus; see suffix

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for soffit

The soffit is flat, with a round moulding at the inner and the outer edge.
The Story of Chartres|Cecil Headlam
Flat arch, where the soffit is horizontal and sometimes slightly cambered (dotted line).
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 2, Slice 4|Various
The soffit of the arch is carved, and the face of the pilaster below has a very rich and graceful vine arabesque upon it.
The Shores of the Adriatic|F. Hamilton Jackson
A projection upon the soffit of the Doric corona, which originally marked the position of the rafter-ends beneath the sheathing.
History of Ancient Art|Franz von Reber

The lower surface or soffit of the arch is the intrados, E, and the upper surface the extrados, F.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 2, Slice 4|Various

British Dictionary definitions for soffit

soffit

/ (ˈsɒfɪt) /

noun

the underside of a part of a building or a structural component, such as an arch, beam, stair, etc

Also called: crown, vertex the upper inner surface of a drain or sewerCompare invert (def. 6)

Word Origin for soffit

C17: via French from Italian soffitto, from Latin suffixus something fixed underneath, from suffīgere, from sub- under + fīgere to fasten

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for soffit

soffit

architectural term referring to under-faces, 1610s, from Italian soffita, fem. of soffitto "ceiling," noun use of adjective meaning "fixed beneath," from Vulgar Latin *suffictus "fastened below," from Latin suffixus (see suffix (n.)).