Main Entry:

ve·lum

Pronunciation:

\ˈvē-ləm\

Function:

noun

Inflected Form(s):

plural ve·la \-lə\

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