veil

English

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 (“sail”). Displaced Middle English scleire, scleyre, sleyre, slyre (“veil”) (compare German Schleier). Doublet of velum and voile.

Pronunciation

(Received Pronunciation, General American) IPA^(key): /veɪl/
Audio (GA) (file)
Rhymes: -eɪl
Homophones: vale, vail

Noun

veil (plural veils)

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.
- 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], OCLC 964384981, Matthew 27:51:
  The veil of the temple was rent in twain.
- 1667, John Milton, “Book IV”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], […], OCLC 228722708; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, OCLC 230729554:
  She, as a veil down to the slender waist, / Her unadorned golden tresses wore.
(figurative) Anything that partially obscures a clear view.
- 1886, Peter Christen Asbjørnsen, H.L. Brækstad, transl., Folk and Fairy Tales, page 160:
  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.
A cover; disguise; a mask; a pretense.
- c. 1597, William Shakespeare, “The Merry VViues of VVindsor”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, [Act III, scene iii]:
  [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.
A covering for a person or thing; as, a caul (especially over the head)
a nun's veil
a paten veil
an altar veil
(biology) The calyptra of mosses.
(zoology) velum (A circular membrane round the cap of a medusa).
(mycology) A thin layer of tissue which is attached to or covers a mushroom.
(mycology) A membrane connecting the margin of the pileus of a mushroom with the stalk; a velum.
- 1903, George Francis Atkinson, chapter VI, in Studies of American Fungi. Mushrooms, Edible, Poisonous, etc.‎, second edition, New York: Henry Holt:
  The genus Amanita has both a volva and a veil; the spores are white, and the stem is easily separable from the cap.
An obscuration of the clearness of the tones in pronunciation.
(figurative, parapsychology) That which separates the living and the spirit world.
- 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:
  "I have heard most furious bigots talking through the veil." "So have I, for that matter," said Malone, "and in this very room."

Derived terms

dance of the seven veils
draw a veil over
take the veil
veil of tears

Descendants

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

Translations

something to hide an object

Albanian: pëlhurë (sq) f, mbështjellëse (sq) f
Belarusian: по́крыўка f (pókryŭka), пакрыва́ла n (pakryvála), заве́са f (zavjésa), засло́на f (zaslóna), апо́на f (apóna)
Bulgarian: заве́са (bg) f (zavésa), покрива́ло (bg) n (pokriválo)
Catalan: vel (ca) m
Czech: rouška (cs) f
Danish: dække n
Finnish: harso (fi), verho (fi)
French: voile (fr) m
Galician: veo 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)
Latin: vēlāmen n, rīca f
Maori: kōpare (refers to eyes)
Norman: vouaile m
Polish: zasłona (pl) f, przesłona (pl) f
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
Swedish: slöja (sv)
Telugu: ముఖవస్త్రము (te) (mukhavastramu)
Ukrainian: покрива́ло n (pokryválo), покри́вка f (pokrývka), заві́са f (zavísa), запо́на f (zapóna), запина́ло n (zapynálo), засло́на (uk) f (zaslóna), опо́на f (opóna)

covering for a person or thing

Albanian: pëlhurë (sq) f, mbështjellëse (sq) f
Arabic: حِجَاب‎ (ar) m (ḥijāb), خِمَار‎ m (ḵimār), نِقَاب‎ m (niqāb), بُرْقُع‎ m (burquʿ), لِثَام‎ m (liṯām)
Armenian: քող (hy) (kʿoł), շղարշ (hy) (šłarš)
Assamese: ওৰণি (üroni)
Belarusian: вуа́ль f (vuálʹ), вэ́люм m (véljum), вэ́лем m (véljem)
Bulgarian: воа́л (bg) m (voál), було (bg) n (bulo)
Catalan: vel (ca) m
Chinese:
Mandarin: 面紗／面纱 (zh) (miànshā)
Czech: závoj (cs) m
Danish: slør n
Dutch: sluier (nl) m
Esperanto: vualo
Finnish: huntu (fi), verho (fi)
French: voile (fr) m
Galician: veo m
Georgian: პირბადე (ṗirbade), რიდე (ride), ვუალი (vuali)
German: Schleier (de) m
Greek: πέπλος m (péplos), πέπλο (el) n (péplo), βέλο (el) n (vélo)
Ancient: κάλυμμα n (kálumma)
Greenlandic: kiinnamut saagoq
Hebrew: צעיף‎ (he) m (tsaíf), כיסוי‎ m (kisúy), מטפחת‎ (he) f (mitpákhat)
Hindi: घूँघट (hi) m (ghūṅghaṭ)
Hungarian: fátyol (hu)
Ido: velo (io)
Italian: velo m
Japanese: ベール (bēru)
Korean: 베일 (beil)
Latin: vēlāmen n
Maori: kōpare
Norman: vouaile m
Ottoman Turkish: پرده‎ (perde)
Piedmontese: vel m
Plautdietsch: Schleia m
Polish: welon (pl) m, woalka (pl) f
Portuguese: véu (pt) m
Punjabi: ਘੁੰਡ (ghuṇḍ)
Romanian: văl (ro) n, voal (ro) n
Russian: вуа́ль (ru) f (vuálʹ), фата́ (ru) f (fatá) (bridal veil)
Scottish Gaelic: sgàile f, brat m
Serbo-Croatian: please add this translation if you can
Slovak: závoj m
Spanish: velo (es) m
Swahili: veli (sw), shela
Swedish: slöja (sv) c
Tagalog: taong (black mourning veil)
Turkish: peçe (tr), duvak (tr)
Ukrainian: вуа́ль f (vuálʹ), ве́льон m (vélʹon)
Uyghur: please add this translation if you can
Yiddish: וועלאָן‎ (velon)

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
Dutch: ^{(please verify)} sluier (nl) m
Esperanto: ^{(please verify)} vualo
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)

(transitive) To dress in, or decorate with, a veil.
(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

Bulgarian: забулвам (bg) (zabulvam)
Catalan: velar (ca)
Czech: nosit roušku, halit
Danish: dække
Finnish: hunnuttaa
French: voiler (fr)
Galician: velar
German: verschleiern (de), verhüllen (de)
Hungarian: lefátyoloz (hu), fátyollal borít/fed
Maori: kōpare (refers to eyes)
Portuguese: velar (pt)

conceal with a veil

Bulgarian: прикривам (bg) (prikrivam), завоалирам (zavoaliram)
Catalan: velar (ca)
Czech: zahalit (cs), halit
Danish: sløre, skjule (da)
Finnish: (transitive) verhota (fi), (intransitive) verhoutua
French: voiler (fr)
Galician: velar
German: verhüllen (de)
Hungarian: takar (hu), fed (hu), rejt (hu), leplez (hu)
Ido: velizar (io)
Latin: advēlō
Maori: kōpare (refers to eyes)
Norwegian:
Bokmål: tilsløre
Portuguese: velar (pt)
Romanian: voala (ro)
Sanskrit: वृणोति (sa) (vṛṇoti)
Spanish: velar (es)

Anagrams

Levi, Viel, evil, live, vile, vlei

Dutch

Etymology

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Pronunciation

Audio (file)

Verb

veil

first-person singular present indicative of veilen
imperative of veilen

Adjective

veil (comparative veiler, superlative veilst)

venal
Een veile vrouw.
A venal woman.

Inflection

Inflection 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