velum

noun, plural ve·la [vee-luh] /ˈvi lə/, for 1, 2, ve·lum for 3.

1. Biology. any of various veillike or curtainlike membranous partitions.
2. Anatomy. the soft palate.See under palate(def 1).
3. Meteorology. a thin cloud, large in horizontal area, that is draped over or penetrated by cumuliform clouds.

noun plural -la (-lə)

1. 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
2. anatomy any of various veil-like bodily structures, esp the soft palate
3. botany another word for veil (def. 6)

n.

1771, from Latin velum “a sail, awning, curtain, covering” (see veil (n.)).

n. pl. ve•la (-lə)

1. An anatomical structure resembling a veil or curtain.veil velamen
2. greater omentum
3. A serous membrane or membranous envelope or covering.