floor

[flawr, flohr] /flɔr, floʊr/
noun
1.
that part of a room, hallway, or the like, that forms its lower enclosing surface and upon which one walks.
2.
a continuous, supporting surface extending horizontally throughout a building, having a number of rooms, apartments, or the like, and constituting one level or stage in the structure; story.
3.
a level, supporting surface in any structure:
the elevator floor.
4.
one of two or more layers of material composing a floor:
rough floor; finish floor.
5.
a platform or prepared level area for a particular use:
a threshing floor.
6.
the bottom of any more or less hollow place:
the floor of a tunnel.
7.
a more or less flat extent of surface:
the floor of the ocean.
8.
the part of a legislative chamber, meeting room, etc., where the members sit, and from which they speak.
9.
the right of one member to speak from such a place in preference to other members:
The senator from Alaska has the floor.
10.
the area of a floor, as in a factory or retail store, where items are actually made or sold, as opposed to offices, supply areas, etc.:
There are only two salesclerks on the floor.
11.
the main part of a stock or commodity exchange or the like, as distinguished from the galleries, platform, etc.
12.
the bottom, base, or minimum charged, demanded, or paid:
The government avoided establishing a price or wage floor.
13.
Mining. an underlying stratum, as of ore, usually flat.
14.
Nautical.
  1. the bottom of a hull.
  2. any of a number of deep, transverse framing members at the bottom of a steel or iron hull, generally interrupted by and joined to any vertical keel or keelsons.
  3. the lowermost member of a frame in a wooden vessel.
verb (used with object)
15.
to cover or furnish with a floor.
16.
to bring down to the floor or ground; knock down:
He floored his opponent with one blow.
17.
to overwhelm; defeat.
18.
to confound or puzzle; nonplus:
I was floored by the problem.
19.
Also, floorboard. to push (a foot-operated accelerator pedal) all the way down to the floor of a vehicle, for maximum speed or power.
Idioms
20.
mop / wipe the floor with, Informal. to overwhelm completely; defeat:
He expected to mop the floor with his opponents.
21.
take the floor, to arise to address a meeting.
Origin
before 900; Middle English flor, Old English flōr; cognate with Old Norse flōr, Middle Low German vlōr, Middle High German vluor (German Flur)
Related forms
floorless, adjective
underfloor, noun
unfloor, verb (used with object)
British Dictionary definitions for take the floor

floor

/flɔː/
noun
1.
Also called flooring. the inner lower surface of a room
2.
a storey of a building: the second floor
3.
a flat bottom surface in or on any structure: the floor of a lift, a dance floor
4.
the bottom surface of a tunnel, cave, river, sea, etc
5.
(mining) an underlying stratum
6.
(nautical) the bottom, or the lowermost framing members at the bottom, of a vessel
7.
that part of a legislative hall in which debate and other business is conducted
8.
the right to speak in a legislative or deliberative body (esp in the phrases get, have, or be given the floor)
9.
the room in a stock exchange where trading takes place
10.
the earth; ground
11.
a minimum price charged or paid: a wage floor
12.
take the floor, to begin dancing on a dance floor
verb
13.
to cover with or construct a floor
14.
(transitive) to knock to the floor or ground
15.
(transitive) (informal) to disconcert, confound, or defeat: to be floored by a problem
Word Origin
Old English flōr; related to Old Norse flōrr, Middle Low German vlōr floor, Latin plānus level, Greek planan to cause to wander
Word Origin and History for take the floor

floor

n.

Old English flor "floor, pavement, ground, bottom (of a lake, etc.)," from Proto-Germanic *floruz "floor" (cf. Middle Dutch and Dutch vloer, Old Norse flor "floor," Middle High German vluor, German Flur "field, meadow"), from PIE *plaros "flat surface" (cf. Welsh llawr "ground"), enlarged from *pele- (2) "flat, to spread" (see plane (n.1)).

Meaning "level of a house" is from 1580s. The figurative sense in legislative assemblies (as opposed to the platform) is first recorded 1774. Spanish suelo "floor" is from Latin solum "bottom, ground, soil;" German Boden is cognate with English bottom. Floor plan attested from 1867.

v.

early 15c., "to furnish with a floor," from floor (n.). Sense of "puzzle, confound" is 1830, from notion of "knock down to the floor" (1640s). Related: Floored; flooring.

Slang definitions & phrases for take the floor

floor

verb
  1. To knock down; deck (1812+)
  2. To shock, surprise, or hurt to the point of helplessness: I was floored when some of our players accepted their offer (1830+)
  3. (also floorboard or floor it) To drive at full speed; push the throttle pedal to the floorboard; put the pedal to the metal: She floored the Porsche on the freeway and got caught/ You better floor it and get out of here (1950s+)
Related Terms

clean up on someone,in on the ground floor, mop the floor with someone, put someone on the floor


Idioms and Phrases with take the floor

take the floor

Rise to speak formally to an assembled group, as in After that long introduction, the treasurer took the floor. This idiom uses floor in the sense of “right to speak,” in turn derived from its meaning as the part of the legislature from which members address the group. [ c. 1800 ]

floor

see: