Main Entry: ¹shroud

Pronunciation: \ˈshrau̇d, especially Southern ˈsrau̇d\

Function: noun

Etymology: Middle English, garment, from Old English scrūd; akin to Old English scrēade shred — more at shred

Date: 14th century

1 obsolete : shelter, protection
2 : something that covers, screens, or guards: as a : one of two flanges that give peripheral support to turbine or fan bedding b : a usually fiberglass guard that protects a spacecraft from the heat of launching
3 : burial garment : winding-sheet, cerement
4 a : one of the ropes leading usually in pairs from a ship's mastheads to give lateral support to the masts b : one of the cords that suspend the harness of a parachute from the canopy

[shroud illustration]