ˈvēləm noun
( plural ve·la -lə)
Etymology: New Latin, from Latin, covering, curtain, veil
: a membrane or membranous part likened to a veil or curtain: as
a. : soft palate
b. : an annular membrane projecting inward from the margin of the umbrella in hydromedusans and a few other jellyfishes
c. : a delicate membranelle bordering the mouth of various infusorians
d.
(1) : partial veil
(2) : universal veil
e. : the thin membrane that envelops a sporocarp in plants of the genus Isoetes
f. : a larval swimming organ that is especially well developed in the later larval stages of many marine gastropods but occurs also in those of many lamellibranchs, that is developed from the preoral ciliate ring of the trochophore with the ring of cilia becoming raised on a more or less prominent and contractile collar-shaped ridge which in typical cases is produced into large lateral lobes bordered with long cilia, and that prob. serves also for respiration