n.
Pronunciation: ' v ē -l ə m
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural ve · la \ -l ə \
Etymology: New Latin, from Latin, curtain
Date: 1753
1 : a membrane or membranous part resembling a veil or curtain: as a : SOFT PALATE b : an annular membrane projecting inward from the margin of the umbrella in some jellyfishes (as the hydromedusae)
2 : a swimming organ that is especially well developed in the later larval stages of many marine gastropods