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lofting

lofting

1 8.4
A way of making a full-size model from design plans for a ship or building
  • noun
  • /ˈlɔftɪŋ/
  • Specialized
translation icon : lofting
  • The kids are busy leaning out of the speeding boxcar and lofting spit at little houses along the tracks.
  • lofting characteristics

Examples

  • This applied to site surveying as well as to the lofting of the structure.

    Academic text (2003)
  • The architect used precise measurements in the lofting process to create an accurate model of the building.

  • Lofting the new design allowed the engineers to visualize the final structure before construction began.

  • After completing the lofting phase, the team was excited to move forward with the physical construction of the bridge.

How Detailed

lofting
  • Specialized
1 8.4
drafting
  • Specialized
4.2
drawing
184 1.0
sketch
150 2.5

Surface Forms

lofting singular
loftings plural

Morphology

lofting = loft (semi-transparent) = loft + ing

Formally 'loft' + '-ing' is clear, but the sense is a specialized technical process in architecture/engineering that general learners may not infer from the common meanings of 'loft'.

Etymology

Lofting comes from loft, which meant a 'large open room' or workshop where builders drew full-size patterns on the floor. So lofting became the name for making full-size, three-dimensional shapes from plans, and that is why it now means creating a three-dimensional shape or model from design drawings.