What is "soffit"

Soffit \Sof"fit\, n. [It. soffitta, soffitto, fr. soffiggere to hide, properly, to fix or fasten under, L. suffigere to fasten beneath or below; sub under, beneath + figere to fix, faste: cf. F. soffite.] (Arch.) The under side of the subordinate parts and members of buildings, such as staircases, entablatures, archways, cornices, or the like. See Illust. of Lintel.

architectural term referring to under-faces, 1610s, from Italian soffita, fem. of soffitto "ceiling," noun use of adjective meaning "fixed beneath," from Vulgar Latin *suffictus "fastened below," from Latin suffixus (see suffix (n.)).

n. 1 (context architecture English) The visible underside of an arch, balcony, beam, cornice, staircase, vault or any other architectural element. 2 (context pipe technology English) The top point of the inside open section of a pipe or box conduit.

n. the underside of a part of a building (such as an arch or overhang or beam etc.)

Soffit (from , formed as a ceiling; directly from suffictus for suffixus, , to fix underneath), in architecture, describes the underside of any construction element. Examples of soffits include:

• the underside of an arch or architrave (whether supported by piers or columns),
• the underside of a flight of stairs, under the classical entablature,
• the underside of a projecting cornice, or side of chimney
• the underside of a ceiling to fill the space above the kitchen cabinets, at the corner of the ceiling and wall,
• the exposed undersurface of any exterior overhanging section of a roof eave.
• the wall into which loudspeakers are mounted in a recording studio.
• a drop-down box used to mount a kitchen ventilation hood under a sloped or high ceiling.

In popular use, soffit most often refers to the material forming a ceiling from the top of an exterior house wall to the outer edge of the roof, i.e., bridging the gap between a home's siding and the roofline, otherwise known as the eaves. When so constructed, the soffit material is typically screwed or nailed to rafters known as lookout rafters or lookouts for short.

Soffit exposure profile (from wall to fascia) on a building's exterior can vary from a few centimetres (2-3 inches) to 3 feet or more, depending on construction. It can be non-ventilated or ventilated for cooling non livable attic space. A grill that covers the venting opening on the bottom of the soffit is called a soffit vent. A soffit joist is also a related piece.