Definition of: ceiling

(sē′ling) noun
1. The overhead covering of a room.
2. Internal sheathing, as of a vessel.
3. The act of one who ceils.
4. Aeron. a The maximum height to which a given aircraft can be driven. b The upward limit of visibility for flying; the distance, expressed in hundreds of feet, between the ground and the base of an overcast or broken cloud formation.
5. The top limit of anything; specifically, the highest price that can be charged for a given thing.
—absolute ceiling Aeron. The greatest altitude above sea level at which an airplane can sustain horizontal flight under standard air conditions.
—service ceiling Aeron. The maximum height beyond which an airplane under normal conditions may not climb faster than 100 feet a minute.