veil
/veɪl/
noun
Origin
Latin
vēlum — covering, sail, curtain
Overview
Meaning Now
- A piece of thin fabric worn to protect or conceal the face.
- Something that hides, covers, or obscures something else.
Literal older meaning
a cloth covering
Language path
Latin → Old French → English
Earliest form
veile
Earliest period
13th century
Journey
The word traces back to the Latin 'vēlum', which referred both to a sail on a ship and a curtain in a home. The dual nature of the word reflects the ancient connection between woven materials and the functional uses of covering, either for travel or privacy.
Evolution
- Proto-Indo-European
*weg-
“to weave, cover”
- Latin
vēlum
“sail, curtain, covering”
Original sense related to textile and sails.
- Old French
veile
“covering, veil”
Direct ancestor to the English borrowing.
- Middle English
veil
“cloth face covering”
Standardized spelling by the 14th century.
Connections
Word parts
veil
root
covering
Related across languages
French
voile
veil or sail
Spanish
velo
veil
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External references use DefinedTerm semantics.