A veil is an article of clothing, worn almost exclusively by women, that is intended to cover some part of the head or face.
One view is that as a religious item, it is intended to show honor to an object or space. The actual sociocultural, psychological, and sociosexual functions of veils have not been studied extensively but most likely include the maintenance of social distance and the communication of social status and cultural identity. In Islamic society, various forms of the veil have been adopted from the Arab culture in which Islam arose.
Read more about Veil: History, Religion, Hats, Wedding Veils, Dance, Courtesans, Male Veils, Etymology
Famous quotes containing the word veil:
“In such a night, when passing clouds give place,
Or thinly veil the heaven’s mysterious face;
When in some river, overhung with green,
The waving moon and trembling leaves are seen;”
—Anne Finch, Countess Of Winchilsea (1661–1720)
“I shall have the veil withdrawn and be allowed to gaze unblinded on the narrow limits of my own possibilities.”
—Beatrice Potter Webb (1858–1943)
“[Montesquieu] lifted the veil from the venerable errors which enslaved opinion, and pointed the way to those luminous truths of which he had but a glimpse himself.”
—James Madison (1751–1836)