Velaris

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Referring to an anatomical structure associated with a soft palate ; describing something related to a sail-like or velum-shaped form ; indicating a connection to a thin membrane-like tissue in biology or medicine
2. Pertaining to the area or features of the velum in the body ; denoting relation to a membranous or veil-like anatomical part ; associated with a soft, curtain-like tissue formed by the palate or similar structure
3. Involving the characteristics or aspects of the soft palate region ; relating to any structure resembling a veil or sail in anatomy ; designating something belonging to or derived from a membranous formation such as the velum

Etymology: Before it meant anything about anatomy, the Latin "velum" meant a sail, a curtain, or a cloth covering. Roman sailors hauled a "velum" to catch wind, and a "velum" could also be a theatre awning or a veil. The shift to the body came later, when anatomists borrowed the Latin term for the soft palate, the fleshy curtain at the back of the mouth that closes off the nose during swallowing. The ending "-aris" is a Latin suffix meaning "relating to," so "velaris" is built the same way as "pulmonaris" (relating to the lungs). Its English relatives "velar" and "velum" come from the same Latin root. Anatomical terms like this were mostly coined from Latin in the 18th and 19th centuries, when scientists wanted precise names for body parts.