veil

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Anglo-Norman, from (Francien Old French voil, French voile), Latin vēlum. Displaced Middle English scleire, scleyre, sleyre, slyre (“veil”). Compare Spanish vela (“sail”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /veɪl/
• Rhymes: -eɪl
• Homophones: vale, vail

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Noun

veil (plural veils)

1. Something hung up or spread out to hide or protect the face, or hide an object from view; usually of gauze, crape, or similar diaphanous material.
   • (Can we date this quote?) Bible, Matthew xxvii. 51

     The veil of the temple was rent in twain.

   • (Can we date this quote by John Milton and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     She, as a veil down to the slender waist, / Her unadorned golden tresses wore.

2. A cover; disguise; a mask; a pretense.
   • (Can we date this quote by William Shakespeare and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     [I will] pluck the borrowed veil of modesty from the so seeming Mistress Page.

   • 2007. Zerzan, John. Silence. p. 4.

     Beckett complains that "in the forest of symbols" there is never quiet, and longs to break through the veil of language to silence.

3. The calyptra of mosses.
4. A membrane connecting the margin of the pileus of a mushroom with the stalk; a velum.
5. A covering for a person or thing; as, a caul (especially over the head)

   a nun's veil

   a paten veil

   an altar veil

6. (zoology) velum (A circular membrane round the cap of medusa)
7. (mycology) A thin layer of tissue which is attached to or covers a mushroom.
8. An obscuration of the clearness of the tones in pronunciation.

Derived terms

• dance of the seven veils
• take the veil

Descendants

• → Japanese: ベール (bēru)
• → Korean: 베일 (beil)

Translations

something to hide an object

• Czech: rouška f
• Danish: dække n
• French: voile (fr) m
• Georgian: საფარი (sapari), საფარველი (saparveli)
• German: Vorhang (de) m
• Greek: πέπλο (el) n (péplo)

  Ancient: κάλυμμα n (kálumma)

• Hungarian: lepel (hu), fátyol (hu)
• Ido: velo (io)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Latin: vēlāmen n
• Maori: kōpare (refers to eyes)
• Norman: vouaile m
• Portuguese: véu (pt) m
• Russian: покрыва́ло (ru) n (pokryválo), заве́са (ru) f (zavésa)
• Scottish Gaelic: sgàile f, brat m
• Spanish: velo (es) m
• Swahili: veli (sw), shela, pazia (sw) class 5/6

covering for a person or thing

• Arabic: حِجَاب (ar) m (ḥijāb), نِقَاب m (niqāb), بُرْقُع m (burquʕ), لِثَام m (liṯām)
• Armenian: քող (hy) (kʻoġ), շղարշ (hy) (šġarš)
• Assamese: ওৰণি (üroni)
• Bulgarian: please add this translation if you can
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 面紗／面纱 (zh) (miànshā), 面纱 (zh) (miànshā)

• Czech: závoj m
• Danish: slør n
• Dutch: sluier (nl) m
• Esperanto: please add this translation if you can
• Finnish: huntu (fi)
• French: voile (fr) m
• Georgian: პირბადე (ṗirbade), რიდე (ride), ვუალი (vuali)
• German: Schleier (de) m
• Greek: πέπλος (el) m (péplos), πέπλο (el) n (péplo), βέλο (el) n (vélo)

  Ancient: κάλυμμα n (kálumma)

• Greenlandic: kiinnamut saagoq
• Hebrew: please add this translation if you can
• Hindi: घूँघट (hi) (ghūṅghaṭ)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Hungarian: fátyol (hu)
• Ido: velo (io)
• Japanese: ベール (bēru)
• Korean: 베일 (beil)
• Latin: vēlāmen n
• Maori: kōpare
• Norman: vouaile m
• Portuguese: véu (pt) m
• Romanian: văl (ro) n, voal (ro) n
• Russian: вуаль (ru) f (vualʹ)
• Scottish Gaelic: sgàile f, brat m
• Serbo-Croatian: please add this translation if you can
• Spanish: velo (es) m
• Swahili: veli (sw), shela
• Tagalog: taong (black mourning veil)
• Turkish: please add this translation if you can
• Uyghur: please add this translation if you can
• Yiddish: please add this translation if you can

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Albanian: ^{(please verify)} vel (sq) m
• Catalan: ^{(please verify)} vel (ca) m
• Dutch: ^{(please verify)} sluier (nl) m
• Esperanto: ^{(please verify)} vualo
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Italian: ^{(please verify)} velo (it)
• Serbo-Croatian: ^{(please verify)} veo (sh) m
• Spanish: ^{(please verify)} velo (es) m
• Swedish: ^{(please verify)} slöja (sv) c

Verb

veil (third-person singular simple present veils, present participle veiling, simple past and past participle veiled)

1. (transitive) To dress in, or decorate with, a veil.
2. (transitive) To conceal as with a veil.

   The forest fire was veiled by smoke, but I could hear it clearly.

Translations

dress in or decorate with a veil

• Catalan: velar (ca)
• Czech: nosit roušku, halit
• Danish: dække
• French: voiler (fr)
• German: verschleiern (de), verhüllen (de)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Hungarian: lefátyoloz (hu), fátyollal borít/fed
• Maori: kōpare (refers to eyes)
• Portuguese: velar (pt)

conceal with a veil

• Catalan: velar (ca)
• Czech: zahalit, halit
• Danish: sløre, skjule (da)
• French: voiler (fr)
• German: verhüllen (de)
• Hungarian: takar (hu), fed (hu), rejt (hu), leplez (hu)
• Ido: velizar (io)
• Latin: advēlō
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Maori: kōpare (refers to eyes)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: tilsløre

• Portuguese: velar (pt)
• Romanian: voala (ro)
• Spanish: velar (es)

Anagrams

• Levi, Viel, evil, live, vile, vlei

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Dutch

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

Verb

veil

1. (deprecated template usage) first-person singular present indicative of veilen
2. (deprecated template usage) imperative of veilen

Adjective

veil (comparative veiler, superlative veilst)

1. venal

   Een veile vrouw.

   A venal woman.

Inflection

Declension of veil
uninflected	veil
inflected	veile
comparative	veiler
		positive	comparative	superlative
predicative/adverbial		veil	veiler	het veilst het veilste
indefinite	m./f. sing.	veile	veilere	veilste
	n. sing.	veil	veiler	veilste
	plural	veile	veilere	veilste
definite		veile	veilere	veilste
partitive		veils	veilers	—

Anagrams

• viel, vlei