velum

American  

[vee-luhm] / ˈvi ləm /

noun

vela plural

1. Biology. any of various veillike or curtainlike membranous partitions.

2. Anatomy. the soft palate. palate1

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

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velum British  

/ ˈviːləm /

noun

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

3. botany another word for veil

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Etymology

Origin of velum

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

Example Sentences

The mucous plaque has the same appearance as one situated on the velum, and gummata resemble those seen in the mucosa elsewhere.

From Bronchoscopy and Esophagoscopy A Manual of Peroral Endoscopy and Laryngeal Surgery by Jackson, Chevalier

They begin to move about from the moment they are hatched, by means of the long cilia, a, a, placed on the edges of the locomotive disk or velum.

From Principles of Geology or, The Modern Changes of the Earth and its Inhabitants Considered as Illustrative of Geology by Lyell, Charles, Sir

Its upper surface is partly seen in the floor of the body of the lateral ventricle, but is for the most part covered by the fornix and velum interpositum.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 4, Slice 4 "Bradford, William" to "Brequigny, Louis" by Various

The lophophore bears about 20-25 tentacles, which are very slender and of moderate length; the velum at their base is narrow; as a rule the lophophore is accurately circular.

From Freshwater Sponges, Hydroids & Polyzoa by Annandale, Nelson

Magnivelaris is from magnus, large; velum, a veil.

From The Mushroom, Edible and Otherwise Its Habitat and its Time of Growth by Hard, Miron Elisha