velamen

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ve·la·men

 (və-lā′mən)
n. pl. ve·lam·i·na (-lăm′ə-nə)
1. Anatomy A membranous covering or partition; velum.
2. Botany A spongy layer of dead cells that covers the aerial roots of most orchids and certain other plants and may serve to absorb atmospheric moisture.

[Latin vēlāmen, covering, from vēlāre, to cover, from vēlum, a covering.]

vel′a·men′tous (vĕl′ə-mĕn′təs) adj.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

velamen

(vəˈleɪmɛn)
n, pl -lamina (-ˈlæmɪnə)
1. (Botany) the thick layer of dead cells that covers the aerial roots of certain orchids and aroids and absorbs moisture from the surroundings
2. (Zoology) anatomy another word for velum
3. (Anatomy) anatomy another word for velum
4. (Botany) anatomy another word for velum
[C19: from Latin: a veil, from vēlāre to cover]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

ve•la•men

(vəˈleɪ mɪn)

n., pl. -lam•i•na (-ˈlæm ə nə)
1. Anat. a membranous covering; velum.
2. a corky, water-absorbent covering on the aerial roots of certain orchids.
[1880–85; < Latin vēlāmen=vēlā(re) to cover + -men n. suffix of result]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.