Meaning

noun a constellation in the southern hemisphere between Carina and Pyxis

noun a membranous covering attached to the immature fruiting body of certain mushrooms

noun a muscular flap that closes off the nasopharynx during swallowing or speaking

originNamed by the French astronomer Nicolas Louis de Lacaille in 1763. From Latin vēla (“sails of a ship”), plural of vēlum. Doublet of veil.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0