velum
/ˈviːləm
/noun (plural vela /ˈviːlə/)
1A membrane or membranous structure, typically covering another structure or partly obscuring an opening, in particular:
1.1 Anatomy The soft palate.The back of the tongue lies opposite the soft palate or velum when the tongue is in a state of rest, and sounds made with the back include velar consonants and back vowels....
- This technique allows for closure of the velum, thus excluding nasal NO contamination during expiration.
- For ‘mouth breathing’ protocols, patients were instructed with a technique aimed at achieving velum closure of the nasopharynx and asked to practice it prior to testing.
1.2 Zoology A membrane, typically bordering a cavity, especially in certain molluscs, medusae, and other invertebrates.Scyphozoan medusae differ from those of hydrozoans in lacking a velum....
- Adult heteromorphs show wide velum; the velum in tecnomorphs is narrower.
- Free-living medusoid hydrozoans can be hard to tell from scyphozoans, but hydrozoan medusae generally have a muscular shelf, or velum, projecting inward from the margin of the bell.
1.3 Botany The veil of a toadstool.
Origin
Mid 18th century: from Latin, literally 'sail, curtain, covering, veil'.
- dig's one's own grave
- dig the dirt (or dig up dirt)
- dihedral
- dihybrid
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- dihydrochalcone
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- dihydrotestosterone
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- Dijon
- Dijon mustard
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- dike
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- DIL
- Dilantin
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