velum

[ vee-luhm ]
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noun,plural ve·la [vee-luh], /ˈvi lə/, for 1, 2, ve·lum for 3.
  1. Biology. any of various veillike or curtainlike membranous partitions.

  2. Anatomy. the soft palate.: See under palate (def. 1).

  1. Meteorology. a thin cloud, large in horizontal area, that is draped over or penetrated by cumuliform clouds.

Origin of velum

1
First recorded in 1765–75, velum is from the Latin word vēlum sail, covering

Words Nearby velum

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British Dictionary definitions for velum

velum

/ (ˈviːləm) /


nounplural -la (-lə)
  1. 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

  2. anatomy any of various veil-like bodily structures, esp the soft palate

  1. botany another word for veil (def. 6)

Origin of velum

1
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