ceiling
n. countablen. the inside surface of a room that is above your head. It can also mean the highest limit allowed for something, like a price or a salary.
n. the upper interior surface of a room or similar enclosed space. In a broader sense, it refers to an upper limit or maximum level set for prices, wages, or other measurable quantities.
The living room has a very high ceiling.
The government decided to place a ceiling on rent increases to protect tenants from rising costs.
While the physical structure featured an ornate plaster ceiling, the company's growth was hindered by a regulatory ceiling that prevented further expansion into the regional market.
From Middle English celing (“paneling; (bed) cover or hanging”), from celen (“to cover or panel walls”) (from Old French celer (“to conceal”)) + -ing (gerund-forming suffix). By surface analysis, ceil + -ing.
Often used metaphorically in the phrase 'glass ceiling' to describe invisible barriers to career advancement.
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bamboo ceiling
A social barrier to further promotion or progression, in employment and elsewhere, for a person of East Asian ethnicity.
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brass ceiling
An unwritten, uncodified barrier to promotion or progression for women in law enforcement or the military.
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glass ceiling
An unrecognized or unwritten barrier to further progression or promotion, in employment and elsewhere, for a member of a specific demographic group (originally women).