universal veil
- noun
- /ˈjunɪˌvɜrsl veɪl/
- Specialized
:
velo universal
- Remnants of the universal veil can often be seen as a volva at the base of some mushroom stems.
Examples
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In the young Amanita mushroom, the universal veil covers the entire structure until it ruptures as the mushroom matures.
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Mushroom hunters are taught to examine traces of the universal veil to help identify poisonous species.
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The universal veil protects the young mushroom.
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Many species of mushrooms have a universal veil during their early growth.
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In the young Amanita mushroom, the universal veil covers the entire structure until it ruptures as the mushroom matures.
-
Mushroom hunters are taught to examine traces of the universal veil to help identify poisonous species.
-
Remnants of the universal veil can often be seen as a volva at the base of some mushroom stems.
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 meaning is directly compositional: 'veil' denotes a thin membrane and 'universal' in this phrase conveys covering the whole object, so together they indicate a membrane that encloses the entire young fruiting body. Though the term is technical in mycology, the sense is predictable from the constituent words (and has clear equivalents in other languages), so a B1 learner who knows both words can infer the meaning.
Etymology
Universal veil comes from the idea of a thin skin that covers the whole young mushroom. The thin skin, called a veil, wraps the mushroom and then breaks, leaving bits at the base or on the cap, so the name links universal meaning 'whole' and veil meaning 'covers' to the mushroom bits we see today.