noun, plural ve·la [vee-luh] /ˈvi lə/, for 1, 2, ve·lum for 3.
- Biology. any of various veillike or curtainlike membranous partitions.
- Anatomy. the soft palate.See under palate(def 1).
- Meteorology. a thin cloud, large in horizontal area, that is draped over or penetrated by cumuliform clouds.
noun, genitive Ve·lo·rum [vee-lawr–uh m, –lohr-, vey-] /viˈlɔr əm, -ˈloʊr-, veɪ-/ for 1. Astronomy.
- the Sail, a southern constellation: one of the subordinate constellations into which Argo is divided.
- U.S. Aerospace. one of a series of reconnaissance satellites designed to detect nuclear explosions.
noun Latin genitive Velorum (viːˈlɔːrəm)
- a constellation in the S hemisphere, close to Puppis and Carina and crossed by the Milky Way, that has four second-magnitude stars and a young bright pulsar
noun plural -la (-lə)
- zoology any of various membranous structures, such as the ciliated oral membrane of certain mollusc larvae or the veil-like membrane running around the rim of a jellyfish
- anatomy any of various veil-like bodily structures, esp the soft palate
- botany another word for veil (def. 6)
1771, from Latin velum “a sail, awning, curtain, covering” (see veil (n.)).
n. pl. ve•la (-lə)
- An anatomical structure resembling a veil or curtain.veil velamen
- greater omentum
- A serous membrane or membranous envelope or covering.