||Ve"lum (?), n.;
pl. Vela (#). [L., an awning, a veil. See Veil.]
1. (Anat.)
Curtain or covering; -- applied to various membranous
partitions, especially to
the soft palate. See under Palate.
2. (Bot.) (a) See Veil, n., 3
(b). (b) A thin membrane surrounding the sporocarps
of quillworts Isoetes).
3. (Zoöl.) A veil-like organ or part. Especially:
(a) The circular membrane that partially incloses the space beneath the umbrella of hydroid medusæ.
(b) A delicate funnel-like membrane around the flagellum of certain Infusoria. See Illust. a of Protozoa.
Hear it pronounced