veil en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- (General-American) audio
- /veɪl/ (General-American, Received-Pronunciation)
Etymology
From Middle English veil, veyl, from Anglo-Norman and Old Northern French veil (“sail, veil, shroud”) (Francien Old French voil, French voile), Latin vēlum (“cloth, covering”). Displaced Middle English scleire, scleyre, sleyre, slyre (“veil”) (compare German Schleier). Doublet of velum and voile.
Meanings
-
Something hung up or spread out to hide or protect the face, or hide an object from view; usually of gauze, crepe, or similar diaphanous material.
She, as a veil down to the slender waist, / Her unadorned golden tresses wore.
1667, John Milton, “Book IV”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC:The veil of the temple was rent in twain.
1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Matthew 27:51:
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(figuratively) Anything that partially obscures a clear view.
Above the smoky veil over the town rose Akerhus fort, with its towers standing out in sharp relief against the mirror of the fjord, beyond where the Nœs point loomed as a black shadow.
1886, Peter Christen Asbjørnsen, translated by H.L. Brækstad, Folk and Fairy Tales, page 160:
-
A cover; disguise; a mask; a pretense.
Beckett complains that "in the forest of symbols" there is never quiet, and longs to break through the veil of language to silence.
2007, John Zerzan, Silence, page 4:[I will] pluck the borrowed veil of modesty from the so seeming Mistress Page.
c. 1597 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merry Wiues of Windsor”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene iii]:
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A covering for a person or thing; as, a caul (especially over the head)
a nun's veil
a paten veil
an altar veil
- The calyptra of mosses.
- velum (A circular membrane round the cap of a medusa).
- A thin layer of tissue which is attached to or covers a mushroom.
-
A membrane connecting the margin of the pileus of a mushroom with the stalk; a velum.
The genus Amanita has both a volva and a veil; the spores are white, and the stem is easily separable from the cap.
1903, George Francis Atkinson, chapter VI, in Studies of American Fungi. Mushrooms, Edible, Poisonous, etc., 2nd edition, New York: Henry Holt:
- An obscuration of the clearness of the tones in pronunciation.
-
(figuratively) That which separates the living and the spirit world.
"I have heard most furious bigots talking through the veil." "So have I, for that matter," said Malone, "and in this very room."
1925 July – 1926 May, A[rthur] Conan Doyle, “(please specify the chapter number)”, in The Land of Mist (eBook no. 0601351h.html), Australia: Project Gutenberg Australia, published April 2019:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| veils | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Deriveds
veiltail · humeral veil · veilwise · universal veil · unveiled · veil dance · veilmaker · dance of the seven veils · take the veil · veily · veilmaking · veil of Isis · overveil · partial veil · enveil · veil of tears · veilless · corporate veil · veillike · seven-veil dance · inveil · unveil · beveil · draw a veil over
Descendants
Translations (161)
el πέπλος (covering for a person or thing) · ota پرده (covering for a person or thing) · fa-ira پَرْدِه (covering for a person or thing) · ar نِقَاب (covering for a person or thing) · sk závoj (something to hide an object) · ru заве́са (something to hide an object) · fa-ira روبَنْد (covering for a person or thing) · uk заві́са (something to hide an object) · da slør (covering for a person or thing) · hi घूँघट (covering for a person or thing) · mi kōpare (covering for a person or thing) · ko 베일 (covering for a person or thing) · ca vel (something to hide an object) · grc κάλυμμα (something to hide an object) · kk перде (covering for a person or thing) · pl przesłona (something to hide an object) · tr peçe (covering for a person or thing) · fa-ira پَرْدِه (something to hide an object) · et loor (covering for a person or thing) · sk závoj (covering for a person or thing) · hy շղարշ (covering for a person or thing) · be засло́на (something to hide an object) · fi huntu (covering for a person or thing) · hu lepel (something to hide an object) · sk maska (something to hide an object) · es velete (covering for a person or thing) · ga caille (covering for a person or thing) · ru фата́ (covering for a person or thing) · fr voile (something to hide an object) · io velo (covering for a person or thing) · es velo (covering for a person or thing) · he מִטְפַּחַת (covering for a person or thing) · gd brat (something to hide an object) · ga fial (covering for a person or thing) · uk засло́на (something to hide an object) · sq pëlhurë (covering for a person or thing) · uk запо́на (something to hide an object) · pt véu (covering for a person or thing) · ota دواق (covering for a person or thing) · pl woalka (covering for a person or thing) · be вэ́люм (covering for a person or thing) · uk опо́на (something to hide an object) · pdt Schleia (covering for a person or thing) · uk ве́льон (covering for a person or thing) · zza lecek (covering for a person or thing) · ka პირბადე (covering for a person or thing) · fi verho (something to hide an object) · ar حِجَاب (covering for a person or thing) · el πέπλο (covering for a person or thing) · ky парда (covering for a person or thing) · fr voile (covering for a person or thing) · uk покри́вка (something to hide an object) · he כיסוי (covering for a person or thing) · be апо́на (something to hide an object) · nl sluier (covering for a person or thing) · sw veli (something to hide an object) · he צָעִיף (covering for a person or thing) · pl zasłona (something to hide an object) · ota یاشمق (covering for a person or thing) · grc κάλυμμα (covering for a person or thing) · sh ве̏о (covering for a person or thing) · ur گُھون٘گَٹ (covering for a person or thing) · ta மூடி (something to hide an object) · sw veli (covering for a person or thing) · io velo (something to hide an object) · sk rúško (something to hide an object) · yi וועלאָן (covering for a person or thing) · cmn 面紗 /面纱 (covering for a person or thing) · sv slöja (covering for a person or thing) · cs rouška (something to hide an object) · mk вел (covering for a person or thing) · sl pajčolan (covering for a person or thing) · nrf vouaile (covering for a person or thing) · hy քող (covering for a person or thing) · uz parda (covering for a person or thing) · gl veo (covering for a person or thing) · tl taong (covering for a person or thing) · pms vel (covering for a person or thing) · ota یاشمق (something to hide an object) · da dække (something to hide an object) · gd sgàile (something to hide an object) · ur پَرْدَہ (covering for a person or thing) · sk záclona (something to hide an object) · sq mbështjellëse (covering for a person or thing) · sq mbështjellëse (something to hide an object) · uk запина́ло (something to hide an object) · nb slør (covering for a person or thing) · uk серпанок (covering for a person or thing) · be заве́са (something to hide an object) · ka ვუალი (covering for a person or thing) · sl tančica (covering for a person or thing) · sv slöja (something to hide an object) · eo vualo (covering for a person or thing) · ar بُرْقُع (covering for a person or thing) · it velo (covering for a person or thing) · gd sgàile (covering for a person or thing) · ka რიდე (covering for a person or thing) · la rīca (something to hide an object) · ro văl (covering for a person or thing) · tr duvak (covering for a person or thing) · ru вуа́ль (covering for a person or thing) · kk бетперде (covering for a person or thing) · de Schleier (covering for a person or thing) · bg воа́л (covering for a person or thing) · mi kōpare (something to hide an object) · ca vel (covering for a person or thing) · te ముఖవస్త్రము (something to hide an object) · pt véu (something to hide an object) · el πέπλο (something to hide an object) · ar لِثَام (covering for a person or thing) · sw shela (something to hide an object) · hu fátyol (covering for a person or thing) · uk вуа́ль (covering for a person or thing) · sk záves (something to hide an object) · de Vorhang (something to hide an object) · la vēlāmen (covering for a person or thing) · tg парда (covering for a person or thing) · lv plīvurs (covering for a person or thing) · as ওৰণি (covering for a person or thing) · hu fátyol (something to hide an object) · uk покрива́ло (something to hide an object) · sq pëlhurë (something to hide an object) · la rīcīnum (something to hide an object) · pa ਘੁੰਡ (covering for a person or thing) · ru покрыва́ло (something to hide an object) · cs závoj (covering for a person or thing) · pa گُھنْڈ (covering for a person or thing) · ja ベール (covering for a person or thing) · ur پَرْدَہ (something to hide an object) · pl welon (covering for a person or thing) · es velo (something to hide an object) · az pərdə (covering for a person or thing) · fa-ira روبَنْدِه (covering for a person or thing) · be вэ́лем (covering for a person or thing) · kl kiinnamut saagoq (covering for a person or thing) · sw pazia (something to hide an object) · lt šydas (covering for a person or thing) · ka საფარი (something to hide an object) · bg було (covering for a person or thing) · ta முகமூடி (something to hide an object) · he כִּסּוּי (covering for a person or thing) · bg заве́са (something to hide an object) · la vēlāmen (something to hide an object) · be пакрыва́ла (something to hide an object) · gl veo (something to hide an object) · sh vȅo (covering for a person or thing) · gd brat (covering for a person or thing) · sw shela (covering for a person or thing) · be вуа́ль (covering for a person or thing) · ro voal (covering for a person or thing) · bg покрива́ло (something to hide an object) · ar خِمَار (covering for a person or thing) · fi harso (something to hide an object) · be по́крыўка (something to hide an object) · am መጋረጃ (something to hide an object) · mk превез (covering for a person or thing) · az duvaq (covering for a person or thing) · el βέλο (covering for a person or thing) · nrf vouaile (something to hide an object) · ta முக்காடு (covering for a person or thing) · ka საფარველი (something to hide an object)