veil noun - Definition, pictures, pronunciation and usage notes | Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary at OxfordLearnersDictionaries.com

Definition of veil noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

veil

noun
 
/veɪl/
 
/veɪl/
 Idioms
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  1. a piece of very thin material, worn especially by women to protect or hide the face, or as part of a hat, etc.
    • The bridal veil was fringed with lace.
    Extra Examples
    • A veil covered her face.
    • I couldn't see her face behind the veil.
    Topics Clothes and Fashionc1
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • thin
    • black
    • white
    • …
    verb + veil
    • wear
    • take
    • lift
    • …
    veil + verb
    • cover something
    • hide something
    preposition
    • behind a/​the veil
    See full entry
  2. a piece of cloth worn over the head and shoulders by nuns or Muslim women
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • thin
    • black
    • white
    • …
    verb + veil
    • wear
    • take
    • lift
    • …
    veil + verb
    • cover something
    • hide something
    preposition
    • behind a/​the veil
    See full entry
  3. [singular] (formal) something that stops you from learning the truth about a situation
    • Their work is carried out behind a veil of secrecy.
    • It would be better to draw a veil over what happened next (= not talk about it).
    Extra Examples
    • I'll draw a discreet veil over the rest of the proceedings.
    • The government has decided to lift the veil on its plans.
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • discreet
    verb + veil
    • lift
    • penetrate
    • pierce
    • …
    preposition
    • behind a veil of
    • under a veil of
    See full entry
  4. [singular] (formal) a thin layer that stops you from seeing something
    • The mountain tops were hidden beneath a veil of mist.
    • He couldn't see anything through the veil of cloud.
    5. Word OriginMiddle English: from Anglo-Norman French veil(e), from Latin vela, plural of velum ‘sail, curtain, covering, veil’.
Idioms
take the veil
  1. (old-fashioned) to become a nun
See veil in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee veil in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English
Check pronunciation: veil

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utilize
verb
 
 
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