vela
[vee-luh]
- plural of velum.
Vela
[vee-luh, vey-]
- the Sail, a southern constellation: one of the subordinate constellations into which Argo is divided.
- U.S. Aerospace. one of a series of reconnaissance satellites designed to detect nuclear explosions.
Origin of Vela
< Latin, plural of vēlum sail
velum
[vee-luh m]
- Biology. any of various veillike or curtainlike membranous partitions.
- Anatomy. the soft palate.See under palate(def 1).
- Meteorology. a thin cloud, large in horizontal area, that is draped over or penetrated by cumuliform clouds.
Origin of velum
First recorded in 1765–75, velum is from the Latin word vēlum sail, covering
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for vela
Historical Examples
I do not know whether Vela ever did put the group into marble.
Vela, velawe are going to Wrth now, and we forget that it is Sunday!
The Garden of SwordsMax Pemberton
His most western point was the province of Cuquibacoa and the Cabo de la Vela.
The Letters of Amerigo VespucciAmerigo Vespucci
It is true that the Napoleon I. of Vela is a beautiful statue.
Leaving these friendly Indians, Ojeda pursued his way along the coast to the westward, until he reached cape de la Vela.
Vela
- a constellation in the S hemisphere, close to Puppis and Carina and crossed by the Milky Way, that has four second-magnitude stars and a young bright pulsar
velum
- zoology any of various membranous structures, such as the ciliated oral membrane of certain mollusc larvae or the veil-like membrane running around the rim of a jellyfish
- anatomy any of various veil-like bodily structures, esp the soft palate
- botany another word for veil (def. 6)
Word Origin
C18: from Latin: veil
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for vela
velum
n.
1771, from Latin velum "a sail, awning, curtain, covering" (see veil (n.)).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
velum
(vē′ləm)
- An anatomical structure resembling a veil or curtain.veil velamen
- greater omentum
- A serous membrane or membranous envelope or covering.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.