velamen

American  

[vuh-lay-min] / vəˈleɪ mɪn /

noun

• velamina
  plural

1. Anatomy. a membranous covering; velum.

2. Botany. the thick, spongy integument or epidermis covering the aerial roots of epiphytic orchids.

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velamen British  

/ vəˈleɪmɛn /

noun

1. the thick layer of dead cells that covers the aerial roots of certain orchids and aroids and absorbs moisture from the surroundings

2. anatomy another word for velum

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• velamina
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of velamen

1880–85; < Latin vēlāmen, equivalent to vēlā ( re ) to cover + -men noun suffix of result

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

velamina

At Breslau he wrote the Students’ Latin Song, “Jam nox stellata velamina pandit;” and on his return to France he composed the grand trio in the work while visiting a friend near Rouen.

From The Standard Cantatas Their Stories, Their Music, and Their Composers by George P. (George Putnam) Upton

Wool which has been collected and packed in bags is called vellera or velamina, words derived from vellere, to pull, whence it may be concluded that the practice of pulling wool is older than shearing.

From Roman Farm Management The Treatises of Cato and Varro by Fairfax Harrison

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