Meaning & use
the veil
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Meanings
nouncountable
A piece of thin cloth worn over the face or head, especially by women for religious or ceremonial reasons.
Grammar: Countable: a veil, the veil, veils. It can be worn over the head, face, or both.
Patterns
- wear a veil
- a bridal veil
- lift the veil
The bride wore a long white veil that covered her face.
In some traditions, women wear a veil during prayer.
She lifted the veil to greet her guests.
nounsingularfigurative
A thing that hides or separates, making something unclear or unknown.
Grammar: Often used with 'the' in fixed phrases like 'the veil of secrecy' or 'draw a veil over'.
Patterns
- a veil of something
- draw a veil over something
- lift the veil on something
A veil of secrecy surrounds the company's finances.
The report lifted the veil on working conditions in the factories.
We should draw a veil over what happened that night.
nounsingularold-fashionedreligion
The state of being a nun, especially in the phrase 'take the veil'.
Grammar: Used in the fixed phrase 'take the veil', meaning to become a nun.
Patterns
- take the veil
At the age of twenty, she decided to take the veil.
He was surprised when his sister took the veil.
Word forms
| plural | veils |
|---|
Common combinations
- a veil of secrecy
- A veil of secrecy hung over the negotiations.
- draw a veil over something
- Let's draw a veil over the past and move on.
- lift the veil on something
- The documentary lifts the veil on the secretive industry.
- bridal veil
- She chose a simple bridal veil to match her dress.
- take the veil
- In the 19th century, many young women took the veil.
Synonyms and how they differ
- headscarf
- A headscarf covers the head and hair but usually not the face; a veil often covers the face too.
- shawl
- A shawl is a loose piece of fabric worn over the shoulders; a veil is worn on the head or face.
Word family
- veiled adjective
- Covered with a veil, or hidden and not direct, as in 'a veiled threat'.
Commonly confused: the veil or vale? the veil or vail?
the veil vs vale
A vale is a valley; a veil is a piece of cloth. They sound the same but have different meanings.
the veil vs vail
An old word meaning to lower something as a sign of respect; not the same as 'veil'.
Practice
In the phrase 'draw a veil over something', what does it mean?
Choose one answer.
'Draw a veil over' means to deliberately not discuss or mention something, often because it is embarrassing. It does not mean to physically cover something.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “the veil”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.