veil

Reading level: hard

Estimated CEFR level: B1 — Intermediate

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

  1. noun a garment that covers the head and face
  2. noun a membranous covering attached to the immature fruiting body of certain mushrooms
  3. noun the inner membrane of embryos in higher vertebrates (especially when covering the head at birth)

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.

In classic literature

Synonyms

head covering

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