Main Entry: ve·la·men

Pronunciation: \və-ˈlā-mən\

Function: noun

Inflected Form(s): plural ve·lam·i·na \-ˈla-mə-nə\

Etymology: New Latin, from Latin, covering, from velare to cover, from velum curtain

Date: 1882

: the thick corky epidermis of aerial roots of an epiphytic orchid that absorbs water from the atmosphere