Emily Dickinson Lexicon

FLOOR, n. [flore; Sax. flor, flore; D. vloer; W. llawr, and clawr, the earth or ground, an area, or ground plot, a floor; Ir. lar, and urlar; Basque, or Cantabrian, lurra; Arm. leur, flat land or floor; G. flur, a field, level ground or floor. In early ages, the inhabitants of Europe had no floor in their huts, but the ground. The sense of the word is probably that which is laid or spread.]

1. That part of a building or room on which we walk; the bottom or lower part, consisting, in modern houses, of boards, planks, or pavement; as, the floor of a house, room, barn, stable, or outhouse.
2. A platform of boards or planks laid on timbers, as in a bridge; any similar platform.
3. A story in a building; as, the first or second floor.
4. A floor or earthen floor is still used in some kinds of business, made of loam or of lime, sand and iron dust, as in malting. Encyc.
5. The bottom of a ship, or that part which is nearly horizontal. Mar. Dict.