partial veil
- noun
- /ˈpɑːrʧəl veɪl/
- Specialized
:
velo parcial
- The young mushroom was protected by a partial veil that later broke to leave a ring around the stem.
Examples
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Mycologists use the presence and type of partial veil as a key feature for identifying mushrooms.
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After the partial veil ruptured, an annulus was clearly visible on the stalk.
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The partial veil of the mushroom can be seen as it grows.
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Many species of mushrooms have a partial veil during their development.
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The young mushroom was protected by a partial veil that later broke to leave a ring around the stem.
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After the partial veil ruptured, an annulus was clearly visible on the stalk.
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Mycologists use the presence and type of partial veil as a key feature for identifying mushrooms.
Synonyms
8
7.7
A thin natural skin that covers things like young mushrooms or newborn babies
A thin skin covering a young mushroom that breaks as it grows
Surface Forms
Morphology
The compound is directly compositional: 'veil' denotes a thin membrane and 'partial' denotes something that is only partly present, so a B1 learner who knows both words can infer a membrane that only partly covers the mushroom. The phrase is domain-specific but follows ordinary adjectival modification and similar constructions in other languages, so its basic meaning is transparent even if finer mycological details (e.g., annulus) require specialist knowledge.
Etymology
Partial veil is the thin skin that partly covers a young mushroom; partial shows it covers only part of the cap and veil means 'a covering'. When the mushroom grows this skin 'breaks' and often leaves a 'ring' on the stem, so the name points to this temporary cover.