veil

veil¹ [veıl] n

[Date: 1100-1200; : Old North French; Origin: veile, from Latin vela, plural of velum 'sail, curtain, cloth, veil']

1.) a thin piece of material that women wear to cover their faces at formal occasions or for religious reasons

▪ She lifted her veil with both hands.

▪ a bridal veil

2.) the veil

the system in Islamic countries in which women must cover their hair and faces in public

3.) draw a veil over sth

formal to avoid talking about something that happened in the past because it is unpleasant or embarrassing

▪ I think it best to draw a veil over the whole incident.

4.) veil of secrecy/deceit/silence etc

formal something that hides the truth about a situation

▪ Watson deserves credit for lifting the veil of secrecy surrounding Brenda's death.

▪ His pornography was covered by a veil of respectability.

5.) veil of mist/cloud/smoke etc

a thin layer of mist, cloud etc that makes it difficult to see clearly

▪ The moon was hidden behind a veil of clouds.

6.) take the veil

old-fashioned to become a ↑nun

veil ²

veil² v [T]

1.) be veiled in mystery/secrecy etc

formal if something is veiled in mystery etc, people do not know the truth about it so it seems strange or mysterious

▪ The details of the evacuation are veiled in secrecy.

2.) to cover something with a veil

▪ A black kerchief modestly veiled her hair.

3.) literary to partly hide something so that it cannot be seen clearly

▪ A fine rain was beginning to veil the hills.