Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

veil

/veɪl/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.66 in modern English

Syllables: veil
IPA: /veɪl/

7

Scrabble Score

4

Letters

1

Syllables

4

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Something hung up or spread out to hide or protect the face, or hide an object from view; usually of gauze, crepe, or similar diaphanous material.

noun

Anything that partially obscures a clear view.

noun

A cover; disguise; a mask; a pretense.

noun

A covering for a person or thing; as, a caul (especially over the head)

noun

The calyptra of mosses.

noun

velum (A circular membrane round the cap of a medusa).

noun

A thin layer of tissue which is attached to or covers a mushroom.

noun

A membrane connecting the margin of the pileus of a mushroom with the stalk; a velum.

Example Sentences

"The veil of the temple was rent in twain."
"She, as a veil down to the slender waist, / Her unadorned golden tresses wore."
"Above the smoky veil over the town rose Akerhus fort, with its towers standing out in sharp relief against the mirror of the fjord, beyond where the Nœs point loomed as a black shadow."
"[I will] pluck the borrowed veil of modesty from the so seeming Mistress Page."
"Beckett complains that "in the forest of symbols" there is never quiet, and longs to break through the veil of language to silence."
"a nun's veil"

Etymology

From Middle English veil, veyl, from Anglo-Norman and Old Northern French veil (“sail, veil, shroud”) (Francien Old French voil, French voile), Latin vēlum (“cloth, covering”). Displaced Middle English scleire, scleyre, sleyre, slyre (“veil”) (compare German Schleier). Doublet of velum and voile.

Origin

Source language: Middle English

Word Breakdown

Root: *weg-, veil, -, vēlum

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /veɪl/
British English: /veɪl/

Usage

Transitive verb

Inflected Forms

veils (plural) veils (present, singular) veiling (participle, present) veiled (participle, past) veiled (past)

Derived Forms

beveil enveil inveil overveil unveil unveiled veilless veillike veilmaker veilmaking veiltail veilwise

Phrases

corporate veil dance of the seven veils draw a veil over humeral veil partial veil seven-veil dance take the veil universal veil

Synonyms

head covering humeral veil caul embryonic membrane velum obscure blot out obliterate hide

Homonyms

vale vail

Rhymes With

sale male scale full-scale mail they'll email jail fail detail trail rail

Questions

How do you pronounce veil?: The recorded pronunciation is /veɪl/.
What does veil mean?: Something hung up or spread out to hide or protect the face, or hide an object from view; usually of gauze, crepe, or similar diaphanous material.
Where does veil come from?: It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce veil

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “veil”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/veɪl/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “veil”.
Repeat and practice — Say “veil” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.