ceiling

plafond

Surface intérieure située tout en haut d’une pièce.

En anglais simple : The inside surface at the top of a room.

• The ceiling is white.
• A lamp hangs from the ceiling.
• These old rooms have very high ceilings.

Expressions courantes : high ceiling, ceiling fan, on the ceiling

plafond, limite supérieure

Quantité ou niveau le plus élevé qui soit autorisé ou possible.

En anglais simple : The highest amount or level that is allowed or possible.

• The government introduced a price ceiling.
• There is a ceiling on annual spending.
• They raised the debt ceiling again.

Comment l'utiliser : a ceiling on something (The council set a ceiling on rent increases.)

Synonymes : upper limit, maximum, cap

Contraires : floor

Expressions courantes : price ceiling, debt ceiling, ceiling on something

plafond de vol

Altitude la plus élevée à laquelle un avion peut continuer à voler en sécurité.

En anglais simple : The greatest height at which an aircraft can safely keep flying.

• The aircraft has a high service ceiling.
• Its ceiling is lower when it carries heavy cargo.
• The pilot kept well below the helicopter’s ceiling.

Synonymes : maximum altitude

Expressions courantes : service ceiling, operational ceiling, aircraft ceiling

plafond, partie entière supérieure

Le plus petit nombre entier supérieur ou égal au nombre donné.

En anglais simple : The nearest whole number that is equal to or greater than a given number.

• The ceiling of 2.3 is 3.
• For whole numbers, the ceiling equals the original value.
• Use the ceiling function to round this value up.

Contraires : floor

Expressions courantes : ceiling function, ceiling of something

plafond nuageux

Hauteur de la couche nuageuse la plus basse couvrant la majeure partie ou la totalité du ciel.

En anglais simple : The height of the lowest cloud layer that covers most or all of the sky.

• The airport reported a low ceiling.
• The cloud ceiling fell during the afternoon.
• Poor visibility and a low ceiling delayed our flight.

Synonymes : cloud base

Expressions courantes : low ceiling, cloud ceiling, ceiling and visibility