vault

¹

[vawlt]

noun

1. an arched structure, usually made of stones, concrete, or bricks, forming a ceiling or roof over a hall, room, sewer, or other wholly or partially enclosed construction.

2. an arched structure resembling a vault.

3. a space, chamber, or passage enclosed by a vault or vaultlike structure, especially one located underground.

4. an underground chamber, as a cellar or a division of a cellar.

5. a room or compartment, often built of or lined with steel, reserved for the storage and safekeeping of valuables, especially such a place in a bank.

6. a strong metal cabinet, usually fireproof and burglarproof, for the storage and safekeeping of valuables, important papers, etc.

7. a burial chamber.

8. Anatomy.,  an arched roof of a cavity.

9. something likened to an arched roof.

   the vault of heaven.

verb (used with object)

1. to construct or cover with a vault.

2. to make in the form of a vault; arch.

3. to extend or stretch over in the manner of an arch; overarch.

   An arbor vaulted the path.

4. to store in a vault.

   The paintings will be vaulted when the museum is closed.

verb (used without object)

1. to curve or bend in the form of a vault.

vault

²

[vawlt]

verb (used without object)

1. to leap or spring, as to or from a position or over something.

   He vaulted over the tennis net.

2. to leap with the hands supported by something, as by a horizontal pole.

3. Gymnastics.,  to leap over a vaulting horse or pommel horse, using the hands for pushing off.

4. to arrive at or achieve something as if by a spring or leap.

   to vault into prominence.

verb (used with object)

1. to leap over.

   to vault a fence.

2. to cause to leap over or surpass others.

   Advertising has vaulted the new perfume into first place.

noun

1. the act of vaulting.

2. a leap of a horse; curvet.

3. Gymnastics.,  a running jump over a vaulting horse or a pommel horse, usually finishing with an acrobatic dismount.

vault

¹

/ vɔːlt /

noun

1. an arched structure that forms a roof or ceiling

2. a room, esp a cellar, having an arched roof down to floor level

3. a burial chamber, esp when underground

4. a strongroom for the safe-deposit and storage of valuables

5. an underground room or part of such a room, used for the storage of wine, food, etc

6. anatomy any arched or domed bodily cavity or space

   the cranial vault

7. something suggestive of an arched structure, as the sky

verb

1. (tr) to furnish with or as if with an arched roof

2. (tr) to construct in the shape of a vault

3. (intr) to curve, arch, or bend in the shape of a vault

vault

²

/ vɔːlt /

verb

1. to spring over (an object), esp with the aid of a long pole or with the hands resting on the object

2. (intr) to do, achieve, or attain something as if by a leap

   he vaulted to fame on the strength of his discovery

3. dressage to perform or cause to perform a curvet

noun

1. the act of vaulting

2. dressage a low leap; curvet

Other Word Forms

• vaultlike adjective
• vaulter noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of vault¹

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English noun vaut(e), vout(e), volt(e), volute, from Old French volte, vote, from unrecorded Vulgar Latin volvita, for Latin volūta, noun use of feminine past participle of Latin volvere “to turn”; verb derivative of the noun

Origin of vault²

First recorded in 1530–40; verb from Middle French volter “to leap,” from Old Italian voltare, from unrecorded Vulgar Latin volvitāre “to turn, leap”; the noun is derivative of the verb

Word History and Origins

Origin of vault¹

C14: vaute, from Old French, from Vulgar Latin volvita (unattested) a turn, probably from Latin volvere to roll

Origin of vault²

C16: from Old French voulter to turn, from Italian voltare to turn, from Vulgar Latin volvitāre (unattested) to turn, leap; see _vault ¹

Synonym Study

See jump.

Example Sentences

Showing plenty of spunk while scoring the game’s first 13 points, the new lineup vaulted the No. 19 Bruins to a 79-48 victory at Pauley Pavilion.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

We would walk through its tree-lined campus, peek into college classrooms, and admire its magnificent chapel with its vaulted ceiling, grand columns, and multicolored stained glass.

Read more on Literature

They crept into his home en masse, climbing through the air-conditioning units, clinging to the window curtains, marching down the wall, trotting across the vaulted ceiling, lurking in the gloom of the basement.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Museum guards are often unarmed, and valuable works are kept in vulnerable display cases rather than vaults.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Hunt hoarding silver in vaults around the world.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• basement 
• box 
• cellar 
• mausoleum 
• pit 
• safe 
• tomb