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VEIL.
Under whattever veil of artifice or secrecy the Emperor still
affected to conceal his designs. 1893 Scott Quentin D.
viii, Qualities which were vl-iible even through the veil of
extreme dejection, with which his natural character was .
obscured. 184^ H. H. Wilson BriU India \\. 150 (He)
dropped the veil of Mahratta diplomacy, and gave utterance
to his opinions. i88a J. Hatton JoumaUsiic London ix.
16a If the veil of anonymity were completely raised, other
. .names would appear m the list.
C. Of material substances, the clouds, etc. With
cfpx other defining addition.
,^q8 Florio, Veloy . . the mort^lvaile, mans carkas or body.
16*9 Milton Hym* b^atw. 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 Psyciu x. cccxx, He who in his Bodie's
rail till now The Ra>'S of his Divinity hath hid. 1663 Bp,
Patrick Parah. P'igr- "vii. Between us and the invisible
World there is a gross cloud and vail of flesh which interposes,
tf 17^ Bevebidge Priv. Th, i. (1730) i, I am sure,
within this Veil of Flesh there dwells a Soul. x8i6 J.
Wilson City of Plague 11. iii. 45 When the veil Of mist was
drawn aside, there hung the sun. ^1853 Kincslev Misc.
(i860) I. 44 Fifty years of ruin would suffice to wrap them
in a leafy veil. 1871 Br.ACK Adv. Phaeton ix. 121 A great
veil of rain stretches from the sky to the earth.
d. Similarly without specific qualification.
t6o4 E. G[RtMSTONE] D'Acosta's Hist. Indies iii. xxi. 188
They do vsually see as it were two heavens, one cleere and
bright abov'e, and the other obscure, and as it were a graie
vaile spread vndemeath. a 1651 Brome Queenes Exch. n. i,
Imagine now you see break through a Vail Amidst those
Stars... The bright Cynthia in her full of Lustre. 1784
CowfER Ta%k IV. 332 The green And lender blade.. Escapes
unhurt beneath so warm a veil. 1813 Scott Triervt, ni.
xxxvii. Such soften'd shade the hill receives, Her purple
veil when twilight leaves Upon its western swell. 1897
Mary Kingsley \V. 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.
(o) 1701 De Foe True-born Eng. i. 90 Satyr, be kind ! and
draw a silent Veil ! l*hy native England's vices to conceal.
1744 in lo^A Rep. Hist. MSS. Comm. App. I. 211, I
wished from my Soul that I could draw a Veil over Vice*
Admiral Lcstock's Conduct in the late Skirmish. 1808 Med.
frni. 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 (7w««fry 351
There was evidence of proceedings having been enacted over
which I would rather draw a veil.
(*) 1711 KxiXi\%o-nSf'ect, No. i6g P 12 The ill-natured Man
..exposes those Failings, .which the other would casta Veil
over. x8o6 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.
t8a3 Lamb Elia \\. Barbara S—, I must throw a veil over
some mortifying circumstances. 1864 Pusey Led. Daniel
(i8;6) 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, rarer-^
1646 Sir T. Browne Pseud. Ep. 11. 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. Mhs. a slight obscuration or want of clearness
in the voice. (Cf. Veiled///, a. 3 b.)
1884 Grave's Diet. Music IV. 235 \kt no student of singing
endeavour to cultivate a veil because some great singers
have had it naturally. A superinduced veil means a ruined
voice.
o. Photogr, An obscure or veiled appearance.
i8g^ 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. \. ii. (1765)4 Calyptra, a
Veil, in Mosses. 1796 Withering Brit. Plants (ed. 3) III.
811 Polytr\ichunt\ striatum. . .'X\it. 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 [fnushrooms] is
virulent, and they are covered with a calyptre or veil. 183a
LiNDLEV Introd. Bot. 208 The 7ielum, or veil [in fungi], is a
horizontal membrane, connecting the margin of thepileus
with the stipes. 1887 W, Phillips 5W/. 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 GooPilgr. Lyf Manhode iv. xxviii. (i86g) 191 Aboue
was ^ mast of t>e ship dressed wher vpon heeng t?e seyl
ystreight, whiche oo)?er weys is cleped veyl.
+ Veil, sb.^ Obs, Also 4 veille, 5 veyle. [a.
OF. veille'.—h. vigilia waking, watching.] A
watcher or watchman.
1362 Langl. P, pi. a. v. 223 Sleujje for serwe fel doun
i-swowene Til vigilate J>e veil fette water at his ei^en
\Harl.MS. Til.. vigilate J>e wakere warned him \>o]. 1480
Caxton Myrr. in. viii. (1913) 147 Thus is he [i.e. the sun] the
right veyle and patrone of all the other sterres.
Veil (v^l), V, Forms : a. 4, 7- veil, 4 veyle,
veill-, 5 veyll-, weyll-, 7 veile. j8. 6 Sc. vale,
vaill, 6-7 vayle, vaile, 6-8 vail. [f. Veil j^^.i, in
early use after OF. veler^ voiller (mod.F. voiler) or
L. veldre. 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.
138a WycLiF Luke xxii, 64 And the! veyliden him, or
hidden, and smyten his face. 1513 Douglas yEneid xii.
xiii. 218 Thus mekill said scho ; and tharwyth bad adew,
Hir bed valit with a haw clayth or blew. 1601 Shaks.
Tivel. 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 J700 Evelyn Diary 23 May 1645, A Venus of
marble, veiled from the middle to thefeete. 1725 De Foe Voy.
round IVor/d (1S40) 246 She was veiled till she came into
the room. 1791 Cowper Odyss. viii. 10*3 Then his robe.,
with both handso'er his head Ulysses drew, behind itsample
folds Veiling his face, through fear to be observed. 1816 J.
Wilson City 0/ Plague n. ii. 309 We veil our eyes before thy
light. 1867 Lady Herbert Cradle L. v. 119 The same
women closely veiled,. were toiling down the rugged and
slippery street. 1885-94 ^' Bridges Eros ^ Psyche April
xxii, 'Midst them there Went Psyche, all in lily-whiteness
veil'd.
rejl. 1891 'Annie Thomas' That Affair I. x 171 Miss
Pofthuan hats and veils herself.
trans/, a^niifig. 161^ Sylvester Bethulia's Rescue in. 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 \\\. Ixxix, 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 shadowmg 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'sCong. E. Ind. i. xvi.
42 rhis church., was made all of free stone, and couered or
vayled ouer with bricke. 1607 'I'ourneur Rez'. Trag. in, v.
In some fit place vaylde from the eyes a' th' Court. 1656
Smith ^. Pract. Physick 208 The sides of the_ Cradle must
e vailed, that the child may look only straight forward.
a 1700 Ken Ediuund Poet. Wks, 1721 J I. 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. in. 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.
ftg. 1589 Comtnendaiory Verses Spenser's F. Q. S.'s Wks.
(1912) 409 That faire Hands right : Which thou doest vaile
in Type of Faery land, Elyzas blessed field, that Albion
hight.
o. refl. To hide, cover, or wreathe (oneself) in
something. Usuailyy?^.
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^Cosh Div. Govt. in. i. (1874) 286 High truths, like
high mountains, are apt to veil themselves in clouds.
d. absol. To put on or wear a veil.
17x3 Mrs. Centlivre Wonder n, You must veil and follow
him. 183s BuRNES Trav. Bokhara (ed. 2) lU. 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.
X387 Trevisa Higden (Rolls) V. 305 Seint Bryde J?at
Patrik veilledcoverlevede him by sixty ^ere. 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 ho in ^lat
abbay. a 1604 Hanmer Chron. Ireland (1633) 43 The
Nunne Cccubris whom Patricke first vailed of all the
women in Ireland. ai66i Fuller Worthies, Essex {itt"!)
33:j, 1.. conceive she [Matilda Fitz- Walter] had surely t>een
Sainted if vailed. 1886 Canon Monahan Rec. Ardagh Sf
Clonmacnoise 3 Some hold . . that St. Bridget of Kildare was
veiled by .St. Macchilla.
b. reJl. To make (oneself a mm') by taking the
veil. rare~^.
1631 Weever Ave. Fmural 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).
VEILED.
a. Of a garment, cloth, etc
15x3 Douglas j^neid vin. i. 73 A Iin5e wattry garmond
dyd hym vaill. 1596 Shaks. Merch, V. m. ii. 99 Thus
ornament is but.. The beautious scarfe Vailing an Indijin
beautie. 1703 Pope Thcbais i. 432 His ample hat his
beamy locks o'erspread, And veil'd the starry glories of his
head ! 1797 Mrs. Radcliffe Italian xii, Ineir 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. X84S J. Wilson Chr. North (1857) II, 9 Shame
never veiled the light of those bold eyes.
b. Of clouds, vapour, etc.
16x4 Gorges Lucan x. 436 Thus they the time securely
spent. Till mid-night vail'd the Element. X667 Milton
A L, IX. 452 And now from end to end Nights Hemisphere
had veild the Horizon round, /bid. xi. 229 Yonder
blazing Cloud that veils the Hill. 1779 Cowper Olney
Hymns, Submission 23 The next cloud that vails my
skies. 179^ Mrs. Radcliffe Myst. Udolpho xxxv, The
clouds,. veiling the sun and stretching their shadows along
the distant scene. 1820 Lamb E/ia i. My First Play, The
green curtain tliat veiled a heaven to my imagination. 1836
Macgiluvrav T7-av. Humboldt xiv. 178 The heat became
suffocating.. and a reddish vapour veiled the horizon. X87X
T. R. Jones A nim. Kingd. (ed. 4) 134 A cloud veiling thesun
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 natnre or
meaning of (something).
of bad motives.
Freq. with implication
1538 Latimer Remains (Parker Soc.) 399 And in what
case are they in, that hath veiled treason so long ! i6oz
Marston Ant. ^ Mel. i. Wks. 1856 I. 15 Weele not vaile
our names. i6ao-6 Quarles Feast for Wormes Ded.,
1 dedicate.. these few leaues to your truly.Noble Selfe,
hoping your L.ordsbip 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. 17x8 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'Israeh Amen, Lit. (1867) 311 The
literary delusion.. long veiled the personal history of the
Earl of Surrey. X863 Kinglake Crimea I. 209 That which
had so long veiled his cleverness from the knowledge of
mankind. 1869 Freeman Nonn. Cong. (1875) HI. xii. 145
The real names are veiled under the obsolete titles delighted
in by the Latin writers.
6. To render less distinct or apparent ; to reduce,
soften, tone down.
X843 R. J. Graves Sysi. Clin. Med. xxv. 306 The mucilage
veils the astringent and irritating qualities of the metallic
salt. 1878 Abnev Photogr, xW. 102 The chance of veiling
the image through the reduction of the bromide unacted
upon by light is increased.
6. inir, Photogr. To become dark or obscure ; to
darken.
x89o[see Veiling vbl. sb. 4]. X907 Hodges Eletn. Photogr.
(ed. 6) 127 The high lights.. should be just commencing to
veil.
Veil, obs. f. VAiL.r/i.1; var. Vail 2'.2;
form of Weal sb., Well adv,
Veild, obs. Sc. form of Wield v.
Veildar, obs. Sc. form of Wj elder.
obs. Sc.
Veile, obs. form of Vail ; obs. Sc. f. Well adv.
Veiled (\e^id),pf>l. a. [f. Veil v. or sb.^]
1. Covered with or wearing a veil ; shrouded in
a veil.
X593 Marlowe tr. Lucan i. 5517 The Nunnes And their
vaild Matron, who alone might view Mineruas statue. 1607
Shaks. Cor. 11. i. 231 Our veyl'd Dames Commit the Warre
of White and Damaske In their nicely gawded Cheekes.
X614 J. Davies (Heref.) Eclogue 33 Wks. (Grosart) II. 19/2
Than vp (sad swaine) pull fro thy vailed cheeke Hur prop,
thy palme. X815 Shelley Alastor 151 He dreamed a veiled
maid Sate near him. 1820 — Prometh. Unb. \\, iv. i What
veiled form sits on that ebon throne? 1851 Ruskin in
Collingwood Life (1900) 129 Those veiled vestals and prancing
Amazons. . will all be forgotten. X89X Farrar Darkn. ^
Darvn iii. No one recognised the veiled figure.
b. f>oet. Of the eyes.
18x7 Shelley /*?-. Athan. 1. 99 'Tis the shadow of a dream
Which the veiled eye of Memory never saw. 1821 —
Adonais ii, With veiled eyes, 'Mid listening Echoes, in her
Paradise She sate.
c. Bot. Having a velum ; velate.
1793 Martvn Lang. Bot. s.v. Calyptra, In this sense
Euonymus is said to be caljrptred, calyptrate or veiled.
x866 ill Treas. Bot.
2. Concealed, covered, hidden, as if by a veil
ob5cnre, unrevealed.
i6ia T. Taylor Comm, Titus \. i The vailed knowledge of
the Jaw. 1674 BovLE Excell. Theot. i. i. 49 A close and
critical account of the more vailed and pregnant parts of
Scripture. 182X Shelley Epipsych. 26 Seraph of Heaven!
. .Veiled Glory of this lampless Universe ! X858 Hawthorne
Fr. 9f It. Note-bks. II. 119 Returning the inquirer's thoughts
and veiled recollections to himself, as answers to his queries.
1878 J. P. Hopps Rel.