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    veil

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    veil
    I
    veil1 /veɪl/ noun [countable]
     Date: 1100-1200
     Language: Old North French
     Origin: veile, from Latin vela, plural of velum 'sail, curtain, cloth, veil'
    1. a thin piece of material that women wear to cover their faces at formal occasions or for religious reasons:
        She lifted her veil with both hands.
        a bridal veil
    2. the veil the system in Islamic countries in which women must cover their hair and faces in public
    3. draw a veil over something formal to avoid talking about something that happened in the past because it is unpleasant or embarrassing:
        I think it best to draw a veil over the whole incident.
    4. veil of secrecy/deceit/silence etc formal something that hides the truth about a situation:
        Watson deserves credit for lifting the veil of secrecy surrounding Brenda’s death.
        His pornography was covered by a veil of respectability.
    5. veil of mist/cloud/smoke etc a thin layer of mist, cloud etc that makes it difficult to see clearly:
        The moon was hidden behind a veil of clouds.
    6. take the veil old-fashioned to become a nun

    II
    veil2 verb [transitive]
    1. be veiled in mystery/secrecy etc formal if something is veiled in mystery etc, people do not know the truth about it so it seems strange or mysterious:
        The details of the evacuation are veiled in secrecy.
    2. to cover something with a veil:
        A black kerchief modestly veiled her hair.
    3. literary to partly hide something so that it cannot be seen clearly:
        A fine rain was beginning to veil the hills.