▪ I. veil, n.1
(veɪl)
Forms: α. 3 ueile, 4–5 (7) veile, 5 veylle, 5–7 veyle; 4–5, 7 veyl, 6 veyll, veill (vell), 3–5, 7– veil. β. 4 uayle, 4–5 vayl, 5–7 vayle, 5–8 vaile, vail (5 Sc. waile, wail), 6 vayel(l)e, 8 vaill. γ. 5 Sc. wale, val, 4, 6–7 vale.
[a. AF. and ONF. veile (veille) or veil (veyl), = OF. voile (voille) and voil:—L. vēla (neut. pl., taken as fem. sing.) and vēlum sail, curtain, veil. Cf. F. voile m. (veil) and f. (sail), = Prov. vel, It. and Sp. velo, Pg. veo. See also vele.]
I. 1. a. A piece of linen or other material forming part of the distinctive head-dress of a nun, and worn so as to fall over the head and shoulders and down each side of the face.
| a 1225 Ancr. R. 420 Ȝif ȝe muwen beon wimpel-leas, beoð bi warme keppen and þeruppon blake ueiles. c 1375 Sc. Leg. Saints x. (Matthew) 422 Þe apostil þane..þai madynnis all blyssit, & gefe þam waile & pall. 1387 Trevisa Higden (Rolls) V. 33 He ordeynede þat a nonne..schulde nouȝt handle þe towayles of þe awter,..but sche schal bere a veile on hire heed. c 1425 Wyntoun Cron. v. viii. 1563 He gaf biddynge to þaim ay Þat þar wail war na tyme lewide, Þan þai sulde wer it on þar hewide. c 1430 Lydg. Min. Poems (Percy Soc.) 200 Rympled liche a nunnys veylle. c 1515 Cocke Lorell's B. 14 And many whyte nonnes with whyte vayles. c 1530 Crt. of Love 1102 The nonnes, with vaile and wimple plight. 1596 Dalrymple tr. Leslie's Hist. Scot. I. 228 Eftir her consecratione, haueng put on the Vale of her Virginitie..eftir the consuetude of the kirke. 1610 Holland Camden's Brit. 699 Heina..that put on the Vaile and religious habite of a Nunne. 1631 Townshend Albion's Trivmph 17 Religion, a woman in a short Surplusse of lawne full gathered about the neck, and vnder it a garment of watchet, with a short vale of siluer. 1728 Chambers Cycl. s.v., The Prelate before whom the Vows are made, blesses the Veil, and gives it to the Religious. 1753 Diary Blue Nuns in Cath. Rec. Soc. Publ. VIII. 126 June the 19{supt}{suph} Peggy Johnson received the vail of postulante from Mother Abbess Agnes Howard. 1825 Scott Talism. iv, Six [of the females], who, from their black scapularies, and black veils over their white garments, appeared to be professed nuns of the order of Mount Carmel. |
b. to take the veil, to become a nun; to enter a convent or nunnery. (See also quots. a 1700–56.)
Originally in sense 34 of the verb take, but in later use passing into sense 16 c.
| c 1325 Metr. Hom. 78 Thir maydens ware sent thaire uayles to take Of that bisschope, of whaim I spake... Thir maydens come bifore the autere, And toke thaire uayles. c 1375 Sc. Leg. Saints xxi. (Clement) 661 Throw hyme þe wale has tan a cusing of domycyane. c 1425 Wyntoun Cron. vii. iii. 264 Hir systyr þan dame Cristyane Off religion þe wail had tane. 1526 Pilgr. Perf. (W. de W. 1531) 262 b, She had forsaken the worlde and taken the holy veyle and habyte of religion. 1610 Holland Camden's Brit. 395 Taking herself the Vale for opinion of holinesse. a 1700 Diary Blue Nuns in Cath. Rec. Soc. Publ. VIII. 15 Margarite Pigin came from England to be a lay sister and took the litle vaile for religion. 1756 M. Calderwood in Coltness Collect. (Maitland Club) 259 It was the white vaill she was to take, that is, she was to enter her noviscet, for there is here no publick ceremony in takeing the black vaill, and last vows, for that is done within the convent, after a year's wearing the white. 1791 Mrs. Radcliffe Rom. Forest iii, My father intended I should take the veil. 1818 Scott Hrt. Midl. lii, She never took the veil, but lived and died in severe seclusion, and in the practice of the Roman Catholic religion. 1867 M. E. Herbert Cradle L. iii. 103 Then it..became a large and flourishing Convent, the wife of Baldwin I having taken the veil there. |
c. the veil, the life of a nun.
| 1812 Cary Dante, Parad. iv. 95 And thou mightst after of Piccarda learn That Constance held affection to the veil. 1827 Hood Bianca's Dream 202 By twenty she had quite renounced the veil. 1831 Scott Cast. Dang. xiv, One who,..according to the laws of the Church, had a right to make a choice between the world and the veil. |
2. a. An article of attire consisting of a piece of thin cloth, silk, or other light fabric, worn, especially by women, over the head or face either as a part of the ordinary head-dress, or in order to conceal or protect the face; now usually a piece of net or thin gauzy material tied to the hat and completely covering the face in order to protect it from the sun or wind. Also in fig. context (quot. 1648).
| α, β c 1250 Gen. & Ex. 3616 Ðat folc on him [Moses] ne miȝte sen But a veil wore hem bi-twen. 13.. Gaw. & Gr. Knt. 958 Þat oþer wyth a gorger was gered ouer þe swyre, Chymbled ouer hir blake chyn with mylk-quyte vayles. 14.. Siege Jerus. (E.E.T.S.) 15 Ȝit is þe visage in þe vail, as Veronyk hym broȝt. 1513 Douglas æneid iii. viii. 77 Our hedis befoir the altar we aray With valis brown, eftir the Troiane gise. 1555 Eden Decades (Arb.) 255 His heare long downe to his shulders,..with a vaile of silke rowled abowte his head. 1564 Brief Exam. ****iiij b, A Byshop that suffered a wydowe to syt without a vayle in the Church among other wydowes. 1638 Junius Paint. Ancients 250 This same wise Tragædian bringeth in Agamemnon with a vaile before his eyes. 1648 Crashaw Delights Muses Poems (1904) 146 How at the sight did'st Thou draw back thine Eyes, Into thy modest veyle? 1688 Holme Armoury iii. 240/1 Gipsies..in the Countrey for a Vaile use some Durty Clout, having holes only for their Eyes. 1718 Free-thinker No. 73. 125 She wore a white, unspotted Vail. 1760–2 Goldsm. Cit. W. cxviii, They were covered from head to foot with long black veils. 1774 Pennant Tour Scotl. in 1772, 124 Over her face a veil, so transparent as not to conceal. 1823 F. Clissold Ascent Mt. Blanc 17 We all put on our veils, as a protection from the heat and light. 1838 Murray's Handbk. N. Germ. 139 The women of the lower orders here [Antwerp] wear a veil, resembling the Spanish mantilla. 1859 W. Collins Q. of Hearts (1875) 20 A bright laughing face, prettily framed round by a black veil, passed over the head, and tied under the chin. 1900 J. G. Frazer Golden Bough (ed. 2) I. 313 Amongst the Touaregs..the veil is never put off, not even in eating or sleeping. |
| transf. 1591 Sylvester Du Bartas i. iv. 200 A Peacock..spreads round the rich pride of his pompous vail. |
| γ 1580–3 Greene Mamillia Wks. (Grosart) II. 112 Where eyther the person or place should haue neede of a vale for Sunne burning. 1621 Quarles Hadassa Wks. (Grosart) II. 60/1 Haman went home and mourn'd, (His visage muffled in a mournfull vale). |
† b. A loin-cloth. Obs.—1
| 1634 Sir T. Herbert Trav. 187 A small vaile ouer their priuities. |
c. Eccl. = humeral veil, humeral a. 2. (Cf. also offertory 5.)
| 1782 [see 4]. 1905 Ch. Times 3 Feb. 136 The Offertory veil is worn on the shoulders like a broad scarf, the pendant ends being gathered up in the hands for holding and covering the sacred vessels. |
3. A piece of cloth or other material serving as a curtain or hanging: a. Jewish Antiq. The piece of precious cloth separating the sanctuary from the body of the Temple or the Tabernacle.
| a 1300 Cursor M. 16762+85 Dede men risen out of þer graue, Þe temple vayl clef in twoo. 13.. Gosp. Nicod. 660 Þe son wex dim ful sone, Þe vail rafe in þe kirk. 1382 Wyclif Exod. xxvi. 33 The veyle forsothe be it sett yn bi cercles, with ynne the whiche thou shalt put the arke of testymonye. 1412–20 Lydg. Chron. Troy i. 1747 In þe temple þe veil was kut on two. 1528 More Dyalogue iii. Wks. 246/1 Y⊇ veyle of the temple is broken asunder y{supt} diuided among y⊇ Jewes. 1535 Coverdale 2 Chron. iii. 14 He made a vayle also of yalow sylke, scarlet, purple and lynenworke, and made Cherubins theron. 1611 Bible 1 Macc. i. 22 Antiochus..entred proudly into the sanctuarie, and tooke away..the vaile. 1737 Whiston tr. Josephus, Antiq. iii. vii. §7 The vails, too, which were composed of four things, they declared the four elements. 1782 J. Brown Nat. & Revealed Relig. iv. iii. 363 While he expired, an earthquake rent the rocks, and the vail of the temple. 1842 Penny Cycl. XXIV. 186/2 The inner sanctuary was separated from the holy place by a rich curtain or veil. |
| fig. 1382 Wyclif Heb. x. 20 Bi a veyl, or keuering, that is to seye, his fleisch. 1526 Tindale Heb. x. 20 Through the vayle, that is to saye by his flesshe. 1642 Rogers Naaman Ep. Ded. a 2, We are come..even to the Holy of Holies, through his flesh that hath broken downe the vaile of seperation. |
b. Eccl. The curtain hung between the altar and the choir, esp. during Lent. Now Hist.
| 1427–8 Rec. St. Mary at Hill (1905) 68 For makyng of iiij polesis of bras & iron werk and lede þat serued for þe vayl. a 1450 Mirk's Festial 126 Þe vayle þat haþe be drawen all þe Lenton bytwene þe auter and þe qwere. 1505 Acc. Ld. High Treas. Scot. II. 294 For xxvij elne Bertane claith, to be the vail in the chapel of Halyrudhous agane Lenterane. 1530 Palsgr. 284/2 Veyle for the church in lent, custode. 1556 Chron. Gr. Friars (Camden) 67 That day the vayelle was hongyd [up] benethe the steppes. Ibid. 69 The xxviij. day after was Ester evyne, and then was the tabulle remevyd, and sette benethe at the vayele northe and sowthe. 1877 J. D. Chambers Div. Worship 94 A large Curtain or Veil should be suspended in the Presbytery between the Choir and Altar. |
c. Used fig. or allusively in various prepositional phrases, as behind, beyond, or within the veil, chiefly after Heb. vi. 19 in Tindale's (1526) and later versions of the Bible; now commonly with reference to the next world.
| 1528 Tindale Obed. Chr. Man 91 b, Christe hath brought vs all in into the inner temple within the vayle or forehanginge, and vnto the mercy stole of God. 1722 Wollaston Relig. Nat. ix. 180 To participate of the mysteries of love with modesty, as within a veil or sacred inclosure, not with a canine impudence. 1850 Tennyson In Mem. lvi, What hope of answer, or redress? Behind the veil, behind the veil. 1859 E. FitzGerald Omar xlvii, When You and I behind the Veil are past. 1877 A. J. Ross Mem. Alex. Ewing xxx. 521 In March, 1870, Thomas Erskine passed on within the veil. |
† d. A curtain or awning (cf. quots.). Obs.
| 1781 Gibbon Decl. & F. xxi. (1787) II. 277 The master of the offices stood before the veil or curtain of the sacred apartment. 1790 Bystander 33 To prevent inconvenience from the heat of the sun, they extended veils..by means of cords attached to the extremity of the building. |
4. A piece of silk or other material used as a covering, spec. (Eccl.) to drape a crucifix, image, picture, etc., esp. during Lent, or to cover the chalice.
| (a) 1399 Mem. Ripon (Surtees) III. 129 In salario Johannis Payntour pictantis j magnum vale ad cooperiendum crucem stantem infra corpus ecclesiæ in Quadragesima. 1501 Acc. Ld. High Treas. Scot. II. 64 For xliiij elne lynnyn claith, that wes antependis and vales in the Kirk of Strivelin. 1570 B. Googe Pop. Kingd. i. 11 One vp a lofte the patten holdes, enclosde in silken vayle. 1728 Chambers Cycl. s.v., In the Romish Churches, in time of Lent, they have Veils, or large Curtains over the Altar, Crucifix, Images of the Saints, &c. 1782 in J. H. Harting Hist. Sardinian Chapel (1905) 25 Burse and veil for the chalice, veils for Benediction and the desk. 1877 J. D. Chambers Div. Worship 427 There was a similar veil used also for covering over the Sepulchre on Good Friday. |
| (b) 1781 Gibbon Decl. & F. xix. (1787) II. 151 He..respectfully unfolded the silken veil which covered the haughty epistle of his sovereign. |
5. fig. Something which conceals, covers, or hides; a disguising or obscuring medium or influence; a cloak or mask. (Common in the 19th c.) a. Of immaterial things. † under veil, surreptitiously.
| 1382 Wyclif 2 Cor. iii. 15 But til in to this day, whanne Moyses is radd, the veyl is putt vpon her hertis. 1412–20 Lydg. Chron. Troy iv. 4542 Daunz Anthenor, and Pollydamas, Þat han contreued amonge hem outterly, And vnder veil concelyd secrely, Ȝiffe [etc.]. 1597 Hooker Eccl. Pol. v. lv. §8 Till that humilitie which had bene before as a vaile to hide and conceale maiestie were layd aside. 1611 Bible Transl. Pref. ¶17 Hee remoueth the scales from our eyes, the vaile from our hearts. 1619 Sir H. Wotton in Eng. & Germ. (Camden) 51, I have likewise a zeale to the cause, which I hope wilbe some vaile to myne other infirmities. 1660 Jer. Taylor Worthy Communicant i. iv. 90 For Christ in the Sacrament is Christ under a vail. a 1735 Lansdowne Progr. Beauty 242 Hide with a vail those griefs that none can paint. 1783 W. Thomson Watson's Philip III, vi. (1839) 337 His indulgence to the reformed religion covered the violence of his usurpations with a specious veil. 1820 Shelley Naples 93 From Nature's inmost shrine, Strip every impious gawd, rend Error veil by veil. 1838 T. Thomson Chem. Org. Bodies 1006 The thickest veil covers the whole of these processes; and so far have philosophers hitherto been from removing this veil, that they have not even been able to approach it. 1898 ‘Merriman’ Roden's Corner xvii. 182 Tearing aside the veils behind which human hearts have slept through many years. |
b. Const. of (with defining term).
| 1382 Wyclif Wisd. xvii. 3 Bi the derc veil of forȝeting thei ben scatered,..and with..myche w[o]ndring disturbid. a 1475 in Contin. Brut 601 Thou, shewyng there a face ful benygne, Vndyr a veyle of fals decepcioun. 1543–4 Act 35 Hen. VIII, c. 1 The vaile of darcknes of the vsurped power..of the see and bishoppes of Rome. 1598 Shakes. Merry W. iii. ii. 42, I will..plucke the borrowed vaile of modestie from the so-seeming Mist. Page. a 1639 W. Whately Prototypes i. xi. (1640) 90 To use the mantle or veile of love to cover a multitude of sinnes. 1681 Wyndham King's Concealment 86 Striving to cover her trouble with the vail of chearfulness. 1719 Young Busiris ii. i, That chastity of look, which seems to hang A vail of purest light o'er all her beauties. 1769 Robertson Chas. V, viii. III. 77 Under whatever veil of artifice or secrecy the Emperor still affected to conceal his designs. 1823 Scott Quentin D. viii, Qualities which were visible even through the veil of extreme dejection, with which his natural character was..obscured. 1844 H. H. Wilson Brit. India II. 150 [He] dropped the veil of Mahratta diplomacy, and gave utterance to his opinions. 1882 J. Hatton Journalistic London ix. 162 If the veil of anonymity were completely raised, other..names would appear in the list. |
c. Of material substances, the clouds, etc. With of or other defining addition.
| 1598 Florio, Velo,..the mortal vaile, mans carkas or body. 1629 Milton Hymn Nativ. ii, She woo's the..Air To hide her guilty front with innocent Snow, And on her naked shame..The Saintly Vail of Maiden white to throw. 1648 J. Beaumont Psyche x. cccxx, He who in his Bodie's vail till now The Rays of his Divinity hath hid. 1663 Bp. Patrick Parab. Pilgr. xvii, Between us and the invisible World there is a gross cloud and vail of flesh which interposes. a 1708 Beveridge Priv. Th. i. (1730) 1, I am sure, within this Veil of Flesh there dwells a Soul. 1816 J. Wilson City of Plague ii. iii. 45 When the veil Of mist was drawn aside, there hung the sun. c 1853 Kingsley Misc. (1860) I. 44 Fifty years of ruin would suffice to wrap them in a leafy veil. 1872 Black Adv. Phaeton ix. 121 A great veil of rain stretches from the sky to the earth. |
d. Similarly without specific qualification.
| 1604 E. G[rimstone] D'Acosta's Hist. Indies iii. xxi. 188 They do vsually see as it were two heavens, one cleere and bright above, and the other obscure, and as it were a graie vaile spread vnderneath. a 1652 Brome Queenes Exch. ii. i, Imagine now you see break through a Vail Amidst those Stars,..The bright Cynthia in her full of Lustre. 1784 Cowper Task iv. 332 The green And tender blade..Escapes unhurt beneath so warm a veil. 1813 Scott Trierm. iii. xxxvii, Such soften'd shade the hill receives, Her purple veil when twilight leaves Upon its western swell. 1897 M. Kingsley W. Africa 129 The climbing plants..form great veils and curtains between and over the trees. |
e. to draw or throw (also cast) a veil over, to hide or conceal, to refrain from discussing or dealing with, to hush up or keep from public knowledge. Also without const.
| (a) 1701 De Foe True-born Eng. i. 90 Satyr, be kind! and draw a silent Veil! Thy native England's vices to conceal. 1744 in 10th Rep. Hist. MSS. Comm. App. I. 211, I wished from my Soul that I could draw a Veil over Vice-Admiral Lestock's Conduct in the late Skirmish. 1808 Med. Jrnl. XIX. 55 As far as regards their private characters, it may..be the duty of those who are ‘liable to other imperfections’, to draw a veil over them. 1858 Greener Gunnery 351 There was evidence of proceedings having been enacted over which I would rather draw a veil. |
| (b) 1711 Addison Spect. No. 169 ¶12 The ill-natured Man..exposes those Failings..which the other would cast a Veil over. 1806 T. S. Surr Winter in Lond. II. 101 His faithful attachment to the family caused him to throw a veil over suspicions that the rest of the world will for ever indulge. 1823 Lamb Elia ii. Barbara S―, I must throw a veil over some mortifying circumstances. 1864 Pusey Lect. Daniel (1876) 545 It throws a veil over the grossness of its error. 1875 Jowett Plato (ed. 2) III. 109 He throws a veil of mystery over the origin of the decline. |
6. a. A slight tinge or colouring. rare—1.
| 1646 Sir T. Browne Pseud. Ep. ii. i. 40 As for colour, although Crystall in his pellucid body seems to have none at all, yet in its reduction into powder, it hath a vaile and shadow of blew. |
b. Mus. A slight obscuration or want of clearness in the voice. (Cf. veiled ppl. a. 3 b.)
| 1884 Grove's Dict. Music IV. 235 Let no student of singing endeavour to cultivate a veil because some great singers have had it naturally. A superinduced veil means a ruined voice. |
c. Photogr. An obscure or veiled appearance.
| 1893 Hodges Elem. Photogr. 132 The clear portions of the negatives should remain unclouded and free from veil or fog until the last. |
7. In various specific uses: A veil-like membrane, membranous appendage or part, serving as a cover or screen; a velum: (see quots.).
| a. Bot. 1760 J. Lee Introd. Bot. i. ii. (1765) 4 Calyptra, a Veil, in Mosses. 1796 Withering Brit. Plants (ed. 3) III. 811 Polytr[ichum] striatum... The veils appear in winter, and the capsules in Feb. 1822–7 Good Stud. Med. (1829) I. 248 For the most part the smell of these [mushrooms] is virulent, and they are covered with a calyptre or veil. 1832 Lindley Introd. Bot. 208 The velum, or veil [in fungi], is a horizontal membrane, connecting the margin of the pileus with the stipes. 1887 W. Phillips Brit. Discomycetes Gloss., Veil, a partial covering of the cup; a membranaceous, fibrous, or granulose coating stretching over the mouth of the cup, soon breaking up into fragments. |
| b. Anat. 1829 Cooper Good's Stud. Med. I. 599 Certain phenomena, which occasionally show themselves in the glottis, larynx, and even in the pendulous veil of the palate. 1854 Bushnan in Orr's Circ. Sci., Org. Nat. I. 140 This expulsion of water is produced by means of a peculiar arrangement of the veil of the palate. 1859 Mayne Expos. Lex. s.v. Velum. |
| c. Zool. 1810 Encycl. Brit. (ed. 4) VIII. 190/2 When young it [the larva] is covered with a veil of black silk. 1834 M{supc}Murtrie Cuvier's Anim. Kingd. 258 A membranous veil on the mouth supplies the want of tentacula. 1861 J. R. Greene Man. Anim. Kingd., Cœlent. 36 Around the margin of the nectosac, the wall of the nectocalyx is produced inwards, forming a shelf-like membrane, or ‘veil’. |
8. dial. = caul n.1 5.
| 1857 Quinland I. xiii. 186 Aunt Hepsa says he was born with a veil over his face, and says he can see things that we must not inquire about. 1879– in dial. glossaries, etc. (N. Cy., Yks., Chesh., Shrops., and U.S.). |
9. attrib. and Comb., as (in senses 3 b and 4) veil-cloth, veil-rope, (in sense 2) veil (head)-dress, veil-maker, veil net; also veil-hid adj.
| 1424 Mem. Ripon (Surtees) III. 151 Pro..ij tenterapes, et j veylrape cum j corda. 1552–3 Inv. Church Goods in Ann. Lichfield (1863) IV. 24 Item,..iij clothes to hang afore thalters, ix towelles, a vell clothe. 1611 Florio, Velaro, a vaile or sipres maker. 1813 Brewer Beauties Eng. & Wales XII. ii. ii. 146 A woman in a veil head-dress. 1826 W. Elliott The Nun 41 A veil-hid sister beckons at the door. 1876 A. Edersheim Jewish Life Days Christ xiii. 217 The veil-dress was a kind of mantilla, thrown gracefully about the whole person, and covering the head. 1888 Daily News 3 Dec. 2/7 Veil nets continue in steady request. 1899 Westm. Gaz. 26 Jan. 3/2 The milliner must watch the coiffeur, the veil-maker the milliner. |
II. † 10. A sail. Obs.—1
| c 1430 Pilgr. Lyf Manhode iv. xxviii. (1869) 191 Aboue was þe mast of þe ship dressed wher vpon heeng þe seyl ystreight, whiche ooþer weys is cleped veyl. |
▪ II. † veil, n.2 Obs.
Also 4 veille, 5 veyle.
[a. OF. veille:—L. vigilia waking, watching.]
A watcher or watchman.
| 1362 Langl. P. Pl. A. v. 223 Sleuþe for serwe fel doun i-swowene Til vigilate þe veil fette water at his eiȝen [Harl. MS. Til..vigilate þe wakere warned him þo]. 1480 Caxton Myrr. iii. viii. (1913) 147 Thus is he [i.e. the sun] the right veyle and patrone of all the other sterres. |
▪ III. veil, v.
(veɪl)
Forms: α. 4, 7– veil, 4 veyle, veill-, 5 veyll-, weyll-, 7 veile. β. 6 Sc. vale, vaill, 6–7 vayle, vaile, 6–8 vail.
[f. veil n.1, in early use after OF. veler, voiller (mod.F. voiler) or L. vēlāre. Cf. Sp. and Pg. velar, It. velare.]
1. trans. To cover (the person, etc.) with, or as with, a veil; to conceal or hide (the face, etc.) by means of a veil or other material; to enveil.
Freq. in the pa. pple., which in some contexts may be taken as the passive of sense 3.
| 1382 Wyclif Luke xxii. 64 And thei veyliden him, or hidden, and smyten his face. 1513 Douglas æneid xii. xiii. 218 Thus mekill said scho; and tharwyth bad adew, Hir hed valit with a haw clayth or blew. 1601 Shakes. Twel. N. i. i. 28 The Element it selfe..Shall not behold her face at ample view: But like a Cloystresse she will vailed walke. a 1700 Evelyn Diary 23 May 1645, A Venus of marble, veiled from the middle to the feete. 1725 De Foe Voy. round World (1840) 246 She was veiled till she came into the room. 1791 Cowper Odyss. viii. 103 Then his robe..with both hands o'er his head Ulysses drew, behind its ample folds Veiling his face, through fear to be observed. 1816 J. Wilson City of Plague ii. ii. 309 We veil our eyes before thy light. 1867 M. E. Herbert Cradle L. v. 119 The same women closely veiled..were toiling down the rugged and slippery street. 1885–94 R. Bridges Eros & Psyche April xxii, 'Midst them there Went Psyche, all in lily-whiteness veil'd. |
| refl. 1891 ‘Annie Thomas’ That Affair I. x. 171 Miss Polthuan hats and veils herself. |
| transf. and fig. 1614 Sylvester Bethulia's Rescue iii. 315, I..Will with my Silence vail their Countenance. 1667 Milton P.L. ix. 425 Eve separate he spies, Veil'd in a Cloud of Fragrance. a 1699 J. Beaumont Psyche vii. lxxix, She Vail'd in the scarlat of her modest cheek, Reply'd. 1728–46 Thomson Spring 3 Come, gentle Spring, And..veil'd in a shower Of shadowing roses, on our plains descend. |
b. transf. with a thing as object. Also, to enclose or hang with a veil or curtain (quot. 1656).
Occas. passing into sense 4, but with material object.
| 1582 N. Lichefield tr. Castanheda's Conq. E. Ind. i. xvi. 42 This church..was made all of free stone, and couered or vayled ouer with bricke. 1607 Tourneur Rev. Trag. iii. v, In some fit place vaylde from the eyes a' th' Court. 1656 J. Smith Pract. Physick 208 The sides of the Cradle must be vailed, that the child may look only straight forward. a 1700 Ken Edmund Poet. Wks. 1721 II. 279 Three Leagues in Compass they the Ocean vail'd, And press'd the Billows prostrate as they sail'd. 1750 Gray Long Story 39 With..aprons long they hid their armour, And veil'd their weapons bright and keen. 1837 Disraeli Venetia i. ii, A group of elms, too scanty at present to veil their desolation. 1847 Tennyson Princ. iii. 272 She bow'd as if to veil a noble tear. 1869 J. Martineau Ess. II. 367 She veils the solar radiance and brings on the night. |
| fig. 1589 Commendatory Verses Spenser's F.Q. S.'s Wks. (1912) 409 That faire Ilands right: Which thou doest vaile in Type of Faery land, Elyzas blessed field, that Albion hight. |
c. refl. To hide, cover, or wreathe (oneself) in something. Usually fig.
| 1799 S. & Ht. Lee Canterb. T. I. 129 [His] grieved and rankling heart..veiled itself in smiles. 1840 Dickens Old C. Shop lix, ‘Done, I say,’ added Sampson, rubbing his hands and veiling himself again in his usual oily manner. 1850 M{supc}Cosh Div. Govt. iii. i. (1874) 286 High truths, like high mountains, are apt to veil themselves in clouds. |
d. absol. To put on or wear a veil.
| 1713 S. Centlivre Wonder ii, You must veil and follow him. 1835 A. Burnes Trav. Bokhara (ed. 2) III. 24 Their head-dress is, perhaps, a little large, but..as they never veil, it becomes them. |
2. To bestow the veil of a nun upon (a woman); to admit into monastic life as a nun.
| 1387 Trevisa Higden (Rolls) V. 305 Seint Bryde þat Patrik veillede..overlevede him by sixty ȝere. 1390 Gower Conf. III. 317 Thei..make a worthi pourveance Ayein the day whan thei be veiled. c 1420 Chron. Vilod. 623 And other maydones mony mo also, Weron veylled þo in þat abbay. a 1604 Hanmer Chron. Ireland (1633) 43 The Nunne Cecubris whom Patricke first vailed of all the women in Ireland. a 1661 Fuller Worthies, Essex (1662) 337, I..conceive she [Matilda Fitz-Walter] had surely been Sainted if vailed. 1886 J. Monahan Rec. Ardagh & Clonmacnoise 3 Some hold..that St. Bridget of Kildare was veiled by St. Macchilla. |
b. refl. To make (oneself a nun) by taking the veil. rare—1.
| 1631 Weever Anc. Funeral Mon. 760 A daughter of his, vailed herselfe a Nunne. |
3. To cover, enshroud, or screen as or in the manner of a veil; to serve as a veil to (something). a. Of a garment, cloth, etc.
| 1513 Douglas æneid viii. i. 73 A linȝe wattry garmond dyd hym vaill. 1596 Shakes. Merch. V. iii. ii. 99 Thus ornament is but..The beautious scarfe Vailing an Indian beautie. 1703 Pope Thebais i. 432 His ample hat his beamy locks o'erspread, And veil'd the starry glories of his head! 1797 Mrs. Radcliffe Italian xii, Their beauty, softened by the lawn that thinly veiled it. 1867 Morris Jason xiv. 732 Scarlet cloth, and fine silk, fit to veil The perfect limbs of dreaded Goddesses. |
| transf. 1842 J. Wilson Chr. North (1857) II. 9 Shame never veiled the light of those bold eyes. |
b. Of clouds, vapour, etc.
| 1614 Gorges Lucan x. 436 Thus they the time securely spent, Till mid-night vail'd the Element. 1667 Milton P.L. ix. 452 And now from end to end Nights Hemisphere had veild the Horizon round. Ibid. xi. 229 Yonder blazing Cloud that veils the Hill. 1779 Cowper Olney Hymns, Submission 23 The next cloud that vails my skies. 1794 Mrs. Radcliffe Myst. Udolpho xxxv, The clouds..veiling the sun and stretching their shadows along the distant scene. 1820 Lamb Elia i. My First Play, The green curtain that veiled a heaven to my imagination. 1836 Macgillivray Trav. Humboldt xiv. 178 The heat became suffocating, and a reddish vapour veiled the horizon. 1871 T. R. Jones Anim. Kingd. (ed. 4) 134 A cloud veiling the sun will cause their tentacles to fold, as though apprehensive of danger from the passing shadows. |
4. fig. To conceal (some immaterial thing, condition, quality, etc.) from apprehension, knowledge, or perception; to deal with, treat, etc., so as to disguise or obscure; to hide the real nature or meaning of (something). Freq. with implication of bad motives.
| 1538 Latimer Remains (Parker Soc.) 399 And in what case are they in, that hath veiled treason so long! 1602 Marston Ant. & Mel. i. Wks. 1856 I. 15 Weele not vaile our names. 1620–6 Quarles Feast for Wormes Ded., I dedicate..these few leaues to your truly-Noble Selfe, hoping your Lordship wil vaile my boldnes in your good acceptance. 1653 Holcroft Procopius, Persian Wars i. 30 Tribonianus..being a faire spoken man,..able to vail his Covetousness with abundance of Learning. 1718 Freethinker No. 106. 6 Popery does not appear Bare-faced in England: the Terrours of it are veiled. a 1770 Jortin Serm. (1771) I. i. 4 note, Pythagoras learned to veil his precepts. 1841 D'Israeli Amen. Lit. (1867) 311 The literary delusion..long veiled the personal history of the Earl of Surrey. 1863 Kinglake Crimea I. 209 That which had so long veiled his cleverness from the knowledge of mankind. 1869 Freeman Norm. Conq. (1875) III. xii. 145 The real names are veiled under the obsolete titles delighted in by the Latin writers. |
5. To render less distinct or apparent; to reduce, soften, tone down.
| 1843 R. J. Graves Syst. Clin. Med. xxv. 306 The mucilage veils the astringent and irritating qualities of the metallic salt. 1878 Abney Photogr. xiv. 102 The chance of veiling the image through the reduction of the bromide unacted upon by light is increased. |
6. intr. Photogr. To become dark or obscure; to darken.
| 1890 [see veiling vbl. n. 4]. 1907 Hodges Elem. Photogr. (ed. 6) 127 The high lights..should be just commencing to veil. |
▪ IV. veil
obs. f. vail n.1; var. vail v.2; obs. Sc. form of weal n., well adv.