soffit

(redirected from soffits)
Also found in: Thesaurus, Encyclopedia.

sof·fit

(sŏf′ĭt)

The underside of a structural component, such as a beam, arch, staircase, or cornice.

[French soffite, from Italian soffitto, from Vulgar Latin *suffīctus, past participle of suffīgere, to fasten beneath; see suffix.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

soffit

(ˈsɒfɪt)

1. (Architecture) the underside of a part of a building or a structural component, such as an arch, beam, stair, etc

2. (Civil Engineering) Also called: crown or vertex the upper inner surface of a drain or sewer. Compare invert⁶

[C17: via French from Italian soffitto, from Latin suffixus something fixed underneath, from suffīgere, from sub- under + fīgere to fasten]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

sof•fit

(ˈsɒf ɪt)
n.

the underside of an architectural feature, as a beam, arch, ceiling, vault, or cornice.

[1605–15; < French soffite < Italian soffitto < Vulgar Latin *suffīctus, for Latin suffīxus; see suffix]

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Switch to new thesaurus

Noun

soffit - the underside of a part of a building (such as an arch or overhang or beam etc.)

side - an extended outer surface of an object; "he turned the box over to examine the bottom side"; "they painted all four sides of the house"

Translations

sofito

Mentioned in ?

References in periodicals archive ?

New aluminum soffits (the surface on the underside of eaves) and fascias (the vertical trim under the shingle edge) won't peel or rot, so they'll last for decades with no maintenance.

Maintenance-free aluminum soffits

Weighing up to 360kg, each panel is fixed with stainless-steel connectors at top and bottom to a steel frame (hidden at the top by curving soffits).

Times change

* Provide ventilation in tight places, especially for roof without soffits Cons:

Sizing up attic vents

A silver stair with crisp aluminium balustrades, stairs and soffits shimmers in the grey concrete hall and its first flight terminates at a landing overlooking the terrace which is dominated by a single sorbus (rowan), the old magic tree of the north.

FINNISH COOL

You can easily cut holes in wooden soffits with a jigsaw for rectangular intake vents (see p.

Harnessing the pump in your attic

The visitor then pierces the glass wall to discover the undercrofts of the other six chambers in a complex and almost kaleidoscopic perspective of articulated struts and soffits. This is the so-called Salle des Pas Perdus, a luminous 14m high loggia.

Justice being seen

Downlighters pick out the tall cable masts while concealed fittings on the balustrades and soffits diffuse shafts of light through the timber decking to illuminate the skeletal whalebone structure of the box beam.

Transporter of delight

The quality of light is splendid throughout, with clever use of clerestories illuminating paths and soffits and with polished floors allowing light to bounce about the interior.

Lyrical geometry

This bold crystalline box with its pattern of millions (and soffits behind) accommodates living and dining areas on the first tray, with principal bedroom on the deck above.