As a noun, a vault is a secure room or space where valuable things are stored, or an arched ceiling. As a verb, to vault means to jump over something, especially with the help of your hands or a pole.
From Latin 'voluta', meaning 'a spiral or curved shape', which led to Old French 'volte' for an arched structure. The sense of a secure room comes from the arched, enclosed spaces used in old buildings, while the jumping sense grew from the idea of leaping in a curved path.
It’s odd that the same word covers bank safes and gymnastics moves, but both involve a kind of ‘arched space’. Old stone vaults were like buried ribs over treasures, while pole vaulters draw a human-sized arch through the air. The word quietly connects architecture, money, and athletic flight.
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