What is "floor cloth"

Floor \Floor\ (fl[=o]r), n. [AS. fl[=o]r; akin to D. vloer, G. flur field, floor, entrance hall, Icel. fl[=o]r floor of a cow stall, cf. Ir. & Gael. lar floor, ground, earth, W. llawr, perh. akin to L. planus level. Cf. Plain smooth.]

1. The bottom or lower part of any room; the part upon which we stand and upon which the movables in the room are supported.

2. The structure formed of beams, girders, etc., with proper covering, which divides a building horizontally into stories. Floor in sense 1 is, then, the upper surface of floor in sense 2.

3. The surface, or the platform, of a structure on which we walk or travel; as, the floor of a bridge.

4. A story of a building. See Story.

5. (Legislative Assemblies)

   1. The part of the house assigned to the members.

   2. The right to speak; as, the gentleman from Iowa has the floor. [U.S.]

      Note: Instead of he has the floor, the English say, he is in possession of the house.

6. (Naut.) That part of the bottom of a vessel on each side of the keelson which is most nearly horizontal.

7. (Mining)

   1. The rock underlying a stratified or nearly horizontal deposit.

   2. A horizontal, flat ore body. --Raymond. Floor cloth, a heavy fabric, painted, varnished, or saturated, with waterproof material, for covering floors; oilcloth. Floor cramp, an implement for tightening the seams of floor boards before nailing them in position. Floor light, a frame with glass panes in a floor. Floor plan.

      1. (Shipbuilding) A longitudinal section, showing a ship as divided at the water line.

      2. (Arch.) A horizontal section, showing the thickness of the walls and partitions, arrangement of passages, apartments, and openings at the level of any floor of a house.