Emily Dickinson Lexicon

LOFT, n. [Dan. loft; Sax. lyfte, the air, an arch, vault or ceiling; probably allied to lift, Dan. löfter; Qu. Gr. λοφος.]

1. Properly, an elevation; hence, in a building, the elevation of one story or floor above another; hence, a floor above another; as, the second loft; third loft; fourth loft. Spenser seems to have used the word for the highest floor or top, and this may have been its original signification.
2. A high room or place. – Pope.