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