vault

• (UK) IPA^(key): /vɒlt/, /vɔːlt/
• (US) IPA^(key): /vɑlt/, /vɔlt/

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• (Canada) IPA^(key): /vɑlt/
• (General Australian) IPA^(key): /vɔlt/

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• Rhymes: -ɔːlt, -ɒlt
• Homophone: volt (in some accents)
• The l was originally suppressed in pronunciation.

From Middle English vaute, vowte, from Old French volte (modern voûte), from Vulgar Latin *volta < *volvita or *volŭta, a regularization of Latin volūta (compare modern volute (“spire”)), the past participle of volvere (“roll, turn”). Cognate with Spanish vuelta (“turn”) and Portuguese volta ("turn"). Doublet of volute.

vault (plural vaults)

1. An arched masonry structure supporting and forming a ceiling, whether freestanding or forming part of a larger building. quotations ▼

   The decoration of the vault of Sainte-Chapelle was much brighter before its 19th-century restoration.

   • 1750 June 12 (date written; published 1751), T[homas] Gray, “Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard”, in Designs by Mr. R[ichard] Bentley, for Six Poems by Mr. T. Gray, London: […] R[obert] Dodsley, […], published 1753, →OCLC:

     the long-drawn aisle and fretted vault

2. Any arched ceiling or roof.
3. (figuratively) Anything resembling such a downward-facing concave structure, particularly the sky and caves. quotations ▼

   The stalactites held tightly to the cave's vault.

   • c. 1587–1588 (date written), [Christopher Marlowe], Tamburlaine the Great. […] The First Part […], 2nd edition, part 1, London: […] [R. Robinson for] Richard Iones, […], published 1592, →OCLC; reprinted as Tamburlaine the Great (A Scolar Press Facsimile), Menston, Yorkshire; London: Scolar Press, 1973, →ISBN, Act I, scene ii:

     His fiery eies are fixt vpon the earth.
     As if he now deuiſ’d some Stratageme:
     Or meant to pierce Auernus darkſome vauts.
     To pull the triple headed dog from hell.

   • c. 1603–1606, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of King Lear”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene iii], page 308:

     Had I your tongues and eyes, Il’d vſe them so,
     That Heauens vault ſhould crack: ſhe’s gone for euer.

   • 1636, George Sandys, “A Paraphrase upon Job”, in A Paraphrase upon the Divine Poems‎^[1]:

     The ſilent vaults of Death, vnknowne to Light;
     And Hell it ſelfe, lye naked to his ſight.

   • 1913, Arthur Conan Doyle, “(please specify the page)”, in The Poison Belt […], London; New York, N.Y.: Hodder and Stoughton, →OCLC:

     No bird flew in the blue vault of heaven, no man or beast moved upon the vast countryside which lay before us.

   • 1985, Bible (NJB), Genesis, 1:6:

     God said, ‘Let there be a vault through the middle of the waters to divide the waters in two.’

4. The space covered by an arched roof, particularly underground rooms and (Christianity, obsolete) church crypts.
5. Any cellar or underground storeroom. quotations ▼
   • 1730, Jonathan Swift, A Panegyrick on the Dean:

     to banish rats that haunt our vault

7. Any burial chamber, particularly those underground. synonyms, coordinate terms, near synonyms ▲hyponyms, holonyms ▼

   Synonyms: sepulchre, sepulcher, tomb

   Hyponyms: ossuary, cinerary, columbarium

   Holonyms: catacomb, cuniculus

   Coordinate terms: deadhouse, morgue, mortuary

   Near-synonyms: crypt, mausoleum

   Family members had been buried in the vault for centuries.

8. The secure room or rooms in or below a bank used to store currency and other valuables; similar rooms in other settings.

   The bank kept their money safe in a large vault.

9. (often figurative) Any archive of past content.
10. (computing) An encrypted digital archive.
11. (obsolete) An underground or covered conduit for water or waste; a drain; a sewer.
12. (obsolete) An underground or covered reservoir for water or waste; a cistern; a cesspit.
13. (obsolete, euphemistic) A room employing a cesspit or sewer: an outhouse; a lavatory.

• (outhouse or lavatory): See Thesaurus:bathroom
• (gymnastic apparatus): vaulting table

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. quotations ▼
   • 1814 July 7, [Walter Scott], Waverley; or, ’Tis Sixty Years Since. […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), Edinburgh:  […] James Ballantyne and Co. for Archibald Constable and Co.; London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, →OCLC:

     The shady arch that vaulted the broad green alley.

2. (transitive) To store in a vault.
3. (video games) To remove (an item, character, etc.) from a video game in an update. quotations ▼
   • 2018 August 31, Steven Asarch, “'Fortnite' Developer Update 5.40: Storm Destruction, Revolver in Vault”, in Newsweek‎^[2], New York, N.Y.: Newsweek Publishing LLC, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 3 October 2018:

     In future updates, most likely in season six, more items will get vaulted.

   • 2020 June 9, Gene Park, “Bungie is finally coming through with its old promise of a 10-year ’Destiny’ plan”, in The Washington Post‎^[3], Washington, D.C.: The Washington Post Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 9 July 2020:

     While vaulting some old content may turn off a few players, Bungie seems intent on bringing as many players under its tent as possible first.

   • 2021 February 19, Kris Holt, “Overwatch 2 Will Ditch The Widely Disliked Assault/2CP Maps”, in Forbes‎^[4], New York, N.Y.: Forbes Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2 February 2023:

     Blizzard will vault the gorgeous Hanamura and other Assault maps from Overwatch's competitive mode when 'Overwatch 2' arrives.

   • 2022 June 17, James Carr, “The Real Reason Valorant Is Dropping Its Oldest Map”, in SVG.com‎^[5], archived from the original on 28 November 2022:

     While some mistakes have resulted in Riot pulling Agents in the past, those changes were always temporary. If Riot is set on having only seven maps in the "Valorant," that likely means Split isn't coming back and more maps will get vaulted in the future.

Borrowed 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.

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

1. (ambitransitive) To jump or leap over with a hand and/or foot on the item for support.

   The fugitive vaulted over the fence to escape.

   The fugitive vaulted the fence to escape.

• vaulter
• vaulting

vault (plural vaults)

1. An act of vaulting, formerly (chiefly) by deer; a leap or jump.
2. (gymnastics) A piece of apparatus used for performing jumps. hyponyms ▼

   Hyponyms: vaulting horse, vaulting table

3. (gymnastics) A gymnastic movement performed on this apparatus. quotations ▼
   • 2024 July 27, Maggie Astor, “Your Guide to Olympic Gymnastics: Vault”, in The New York Times‎^[6], archived from the original on 31 July 2024:

     Each vault has three segments: “preflight” (the movement from the springboard onto the table), “block” (the moment the hands touch and leave the table) and “postflight” (the flips and twists before landing). […] Handspring and Tsukahara vaults are less common than Yurchenko-style vaults, but some gymnasts specialize in them.

4. (equestrianism) Synonym of volte: a circular movement by the horse.
5. (gymnastics) An event or performance involving a vaulting horse.

• pole vault

• vault on Wikipedia.Wikipedia