veiling

1. 1
   verb

   Present participle and gerund of veil.

   A thin haze was veiling the city skyline at dawn.

   Critics accused the agency of veiling its decisions in jargon.

   Note

   Veil adds -ing without doubling its l, since the vowel before it is spelled with two letters. Most uses are figurative, and the construction to know is veiling something in something, as in veiling a decision in jargon. Haze, smoke and mist make natural subjects, because they blur a view the way sheer fabric does: a haze veiling the skyline.

2. 2
   noununcountable

   The act of covering someone or something with a veil.

   The novice's veiling marked her formal entry into the convent.

   Laws that make veiling compulsory for women have drawn large protests.

   Note

   The noun names both a practice and a single occasion. As a practice it is uncountable, the word for a rule or custom that women cover themselves, as in Iran's law requiring mandatory veiling. As an occasion it counts: Gwen Seabourne's Imprisoning Medieval Women (2011) finds forced veilings of noblewomen and queens in the early Middle Ages.

3. 3
   noununcountable

   Fabric or other material used for making veils.

   The milliner stitched a band of dotted veiling to the brim of the hat.

   The bridal shop stocks veilings in tulle, silk and lace.

Showing meanings only. Show all 3