vault

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. n. An arched structure, usually of masonry or concrete, serving to cover a space.
2. n. An arched overhead covering, such as the sky, that resembles the architectural structure in form.
3. n. A room or space, such as a cellar or storeroom, with arched walls and ceiling, especially when underground.
4. n. A room or compartment, often built of steel, for the safekeeping of valuables: a bank vault.
5. n. A burial chamber, especially when underground.
6. n. Anatomy An arched part of the body, especially the top part of the skull.
7. v. To construct or supply with an arched ceiling; cover with a vault.
8. v. To build or make in the shape of a vault; arch.
9. v. To jump or leap over, especially with the aid of a support such as the hands or a pole.
10. v. To jump or leap, especially with the use of the hands or a pole.
11. v. To accomplish something as if by leaping suddenly or vigorously: vaulted into a position of wealth.
12. n. The act of vaulting; a jump.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. In crinoids, same as disk, 5 .
2. n. Same as a cloistered (or cloister) vault.
3. n. An arched roof; a concave roof or roof-like covering; the canopy of heaven.
4. n. In architecture, a continuous arch, or an arched roof, so constructed that the stones, bricks, or other materials of which it is composed mutually sustain themselves in their places upon their abutments, and that their joints radiate from some central point or line (or points or lines). Vaults are of various kinds, cylindrical, elliptical, single, double, cross, diagonal, pointed, etc. When a vault of which the curve is an arc of a circle is of greater height than half its span, it is said to be surmounted, and when of less height, surbased. A rampant vault is a vault which springs from planes not parallel to the horizon. One vault placed above or inclosing another constitutes a double vault. A conical vault is formed as it were upon part of the surface of a cone, and a spherical vault upon part of the surface of a sphere. A vault is simple when it is formed. upon the surface of some regular solid, around one axis, and compound when compounded of two or more simple vaults or parts of such vaults. (Compare Roman and medieval architecture, under Roman and medieval.) A groined vault is a compound vault formed by the intersection of two or more vaults crossing each other. See groin, groined, and cuts under aisle, crypt, and nave.
5. n. An arched apartment or compartment; also, a chamber or compartment, even if not arched or vaulted; especially, a subterranean chamber used for certain specific purposes. A place of interment.
6. n. A place of confinement; a prison.
7. n. A place for storing articles; a cellar: as, wine-vaults; the name is hence frequently given, in the plural, to a place where beer and wine are sold, whether subterranean or not.
8. n. A privy.
9. n. In anatomy, a part forming a dome-like roof to a cavity
10. To form with a vault or arched roof; give the shape or character of an arch or a vault to; arch: as, to vault a passage to a court.
11. To cover with or as with an arch or vault.
12. n. A leap or spring. Especially— A leap made by means of a pole, or by resting the hand or hands on something.
13. To leap; bound; spring, especially by having something to rest the hands on, as in mounting a horse or clearing a fence.
14. To exhibit equestrian or other feats of tumbling or leaping.
15. In the manège, to curvet. Synonyms Leap, Jump, etc. See skip.
16. To leap over; especially, to leap over by aid of the hands or a pole: as, to vault a fence.

Wiktionary

1. n. An arched structure of masonry, forming a ceiling or canopy.
2. n. A structure resembling a vault, especially (poetic) that formed by the sky.
3. n. A secure, enclosed area, especially an underground room used for burial, or to store valuables, wine etc.
4. n. An act of vaulting; a leap or jump.
5. n. An event in gymanstics performed on a vaulting horse.
6. v. To build as, or cover with a vault.
7. v. To jump or leap over.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. n. An arched structure of masonry, forming a ceiling or canopy.
2. n. An arched apartment; especially, a subterranean room, used for storing articles, for a prison, for interment, or the like; a cell; a cellar.
3. n. The canopy of heaven; the sky.
4. n. A leap or bound.
5. n. The bound or leap of a horse; a curvet.
6. n. A leap by aid of the hands, or of a pole, springboard, or the like.
7. v. To form with a vault, or to cover with a vault; to give the shape of an arch to; to arch.
8. v. To leap over; esp., to leap over by aid of the hands or a pole.
9. v. To leap; to bound; to jump; to spring.
10. v. To exhibit feats of tumbling or leaping; to tumble.

WordNet 3.0

1. v. bound vigorously
2. n. a strongroom or compartment (often made of steel) for safekeeping of valuables
3. v. jump across or leap over (an obstacle)
4. n. an arched brick or stone ceiling or roof
5. n. the act of jumping over an obstacle
6. n. a burial chamber (usually underground)