Shroud vs. Veil — What's the Difference?
By Fiza Rafique & Maham Liaqat — Updated on May 2, 2024
Shroud typically refers to a cloth used to wrap a body for burial, emphasizing concealment of form, while a veil is a thin fabric worn over the face, mainly for modesty or protection.
Difference Between Shroud and Veil
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
A shroud is often associated with death and funerals, used specifically to cover the deceased before burial. On the other hand, a veil is commonly used in various cultural and religious contexts, worn by individuals to cover the face or head as a symbol of modesty or privacy.
While shrouds are typically utilitarian and made from simple, opaque materials like cotton or linen, veils are more varied in their composition, often crafted from sheer, lightweight fabrics such as silk, lace, or tulle. Veils can be decorative and are used in both everyday wear and ceremonial occasions like weddings.
Shrouds serve a specific purpose by completely enveloping a body, thereby concealing its shape and form. In contrast, veils may only partially obscure the wearer, allowing for varying degrees of visibility depending on the material's transparency.
The use of shrouds is generally limited to the context of burial rituals and has a solemn connotation. Veils, however, are more versatile, used for reasons ranging from fashion to religious observance, thus holding different significance across cultures.
In terms of symbolism, a shroud often represents the finality and solemnity of death, serving as a final garment. Whereas a veil can symbolize purity, innocence, or modesty, especially in wedding ceremonies or religious practices.
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Comparison Chart
Primary Use
Covering bodies for burial
Covering face or head
Material
Often cotton or linen
Can include silk, lace, tulle
Context
Funerals
Various, including weddings
Symbolism
Death, finality
Modesty, purity, protection
Visibility
Completely obscures
Can be sheer, partially obscuring
Compare with Definitions
Shroud
To cover, protect, or hide something.
The mountains are shrouded in mystery.
Veil
A disguise or pretense.
He used politeness as a veil for his disdain.
Shroud
A cloth used to wrap a body for burial.
The body was wrapped in a white shroud.
Veil
A piece of fine fabric worn, usually by women, to cover the face or head.
She wore a lace veil as part of her wedding attire.
Shroud
To envelop something in a way that obscures.
Darkness shrouded the town as the storm approached.
Veil
In nature, a thin layer, like mist or cloud, that covers something.
A veil of mist obscured the view of the valley.
Shroud
Metaphorically, to make obscure or secret.
The details of the plan remained under a shroud of secrecy.
Veil
To cover with or as if with a veil.
The bride veiled her face before the ceremony.
Shroud
Something that covers or conceals like a garment.
The forest was blanketed in a shroud of fog.
Veil
Something that serves to cover, conceal, or separate.
A veil of sadness covered his face.
Shroud
Shroud usually refers to an item, such as a cloth, that covers or protects some other object. The term is most often used in reference to burial sheets, mound shroud, grave clothes, winding-cloths or winding-sheets, such as the famous Shroud of Turin or Tachrichim (burial shrouds) that Jews are dressed in for burial.
Veil
A veil is an article of clothing or hanging cloth that is intended to cover some part of the head or face, or an object of some significance. Veiling has a long history in European, Asian, and African societies.
Shroud
A cloth used to wrap a body for burial; a winding sheet.
Veil
A length of cloth worn over the head, shoulders, and often the face, especially by women.
Shroud
Something that conceals, protects, or screens
Under a shroud of fog.
Veil
A length of netting attached to a woman's hat or hair worn for decoration or to protect the head and face.
Shroud
(Nautical) One of a set of ropes or wire cables stretched from the masthead to the sides of a vessel to support the mast.
Veil
A length of protective netting worn over the face by beekeepers.
Shroud
A similar supporting line for a smokestack or comparable structure.
Veil
The part of a nun's headdress that frames the face and falls over the shoulders.
Shroud
One of the ropes connecting the harness and canopy of a parachute.
Veil
The life or vows of a nun
Assumed the veil.
Shroud
To wrap (a corpse) in burial clothing.
Veil
Any of various cloth head coverings worn by Muslim women.
Shroud
To envelop and obscure or shut off from sight
Fog shrouded the city.
Veil
A piece of light fabric hung to separate or conceal what is behind it; a curtain.
Shroud
To envelop or be associated with and make difficult to understand
"Diabetes continued as a kind of underground disease, shrouded in myth and bereft of advocates" (James S. Hirsch).
Veil
Something that conceals, separates, or screens like a curtain
A veil of secrecy.
Shroud
(Archaic) To shelter; protect.
Veil
(Biology) A membranous covering or part, as that on the developing fruiting body of certain mushrooms; a velum.
Shroud
To take cover; find shelter.
Veil
To cover with or as if with a veil
Dense fog veiled the bridge.
Shroud
That which clothes, covers, conceals, or protects; a garment.
Veil
To conceal or disguise
A smile that veiled his anger.
Shroud
Especially, the dress for the dead; a winding sheet.
Veil
To wear a veil.
Shroud
That which covers or shelters like a shroud.
Veil
Something hung up or spread out to hide or protect the face, or hide an object from view; usually of gauze, crepe, or similar diaphanous material.
Shroud
A covered place used as a retreat or shelter, as a cave or den; also, a vault or crypt.
Veil
(figurative) Anything that partially obscures a clear view.
Shroud
(nautical) One of a set of ropes or cables (rigging) attaching a mast to the sides of a vessel or to another anchor point, serving to support the mast sideways; such rigging collectively.
Veil
A cover; disguise; a mask; a pretense.
Shroud
One of the two annular plates at the periphery of a water wheel, which form the sides of the buckets; a shroud plate.
Veil
A covering for a person or thing; as, a caul (especially over the head)
A nun's veil
A paten veil
An altar veil
Shroud
(astronautics) A streamlined protective covering used to protect the payload during a rocket-powered launch.
Veil
(biology) The calyptra of mosses.
Shroud
The branching top of a tree; foliage.
Veil
(zoology) velum A circular membrane round the cap of a medusa.
Shroud
To cover with a shroud.
Veil
(mycology) A thin layer of tissue which is attached to or covers a mushroom.
Shroud
To conceal or hide from view, as if by a shroud.
The details of the plot were shrouded in mystery.
The truth behind their weekend retreat was shrouded in obscurity.
Veil
(mycology) A membrane connecting the margin of the pileus of a mushroom with the stalk; a velum.
Shroud
To take shelter or harbour.
Veil
An obscuration of the clearness of the tones in pronunciation.
Shroud
To lop the branches from (a tree).
Veil
That which separates the living and the spirit world.
Shroud
That which clothes, covers, conceals, or protects; a garment.
Swaddled, as new born, in sable shrouds.
Veil
(transitive) To dress in, or decorate with, a veil.
Shroud
Especially, the dress for the dead; a winding sheet.
Veil
(transitive) To conceal as with a veil.
The forest fire was veiled by smoke, but I could hear it clearly.
Shroud
That which covers or shelters like a shroud.
Jura answers through her misty shroud.
Veil
Something hung up, or spread out, to intercept the view, and hide an object; a cover; a curtain; esp., a screen, usually of gauze, crape, or similar diaphnous material, to hide or protect the face.
The veil of the temple was rent in twain.
She, as a veil down to the slender waist,Her unadornéd golden tresses wore.
Shroud
A covered place used as a retreat or shelter, as a cave or den; also, a vault or crypt.
The shroud to which he wonHis fair-eyed oxen.
A vault, or shroud, as under a church.
Veil
A cover; a disguise; a mask; a pretense.
[I will] pluck the borrowed veil of modesty from the so seeming Mistress Page.
Shroud
The branching top of a tree; foliage.
The Assyrian wad a cedar in Lebanon, with fair branches and with a shadowing shroad.
Veil
The calyptra of mosses.
Shroud
A set of ropes serving as stays to support the masts. The lower shrouds are secured to the sides of vessels by heavy iron bolts and are passed around the head of the lower masts.
Veil
A covering for a person or thing; as, a nun's veil; a paten veil; an altar veil.
Shroud
One of the two annular plates at the periphery of a water wheel, which form the sides of the buckets; a shroud plate.
Veil
Same as Velum, 3.
Shroud
To cover with a shroud; especially, to inclose in a winding sheet; to dress for the grave.
The ancient Egyptian mummies were shrouded in a number of folds of linen besmeared with gums.
Veil
To throw a veil over; to cover with a veil.
Her face was veiled; yet to my fancied sight,Love, sweetness, goodness, in her person shined.
Shroud
To cover, as with a shroud; to protect completely; to cover so as to conceal; to hide; to veil.
One of these trees, with all his young ones, may shroud four hundred horsemen.
Some tempest rise,And blow out all the stars that light the skies,To shroud my shame.
Veil
Fig.: To invest; to cover; to hide; to conceal.
To keep your great pretenses veiled.
Shroud
To take shelter or harbor.
If your stray attendance be yet lodged,Or shroud within these limits.
Veil
A garment that covers the head and face
Shroud
To lop. See Shrood.
Veil
The inner embryonic membrane of higher vertebrates (especially when covering the head at birth)
Shroud
A line that suspends the harness from the canopy of a parachute
Veil
A vestment worn by a priest at High Mass in the Roman Catholic Church; a silk shawl
Shroud
(nautical) a line (rope or chain) that regulates the angle at which a sail is set in relation to the wind
Veil
To obscure, or conceal with or as if with a veil;
Women in Afghanistan veil their faces
Shroud
Burial garment in which a corpse is wrapped
Veil
Make undecipherable or imperceptible by obscuring or concealing;
A hidden message
A veiled threat
Shroud
Cover as if with a shroud;
The origins of this civilization are shrouded in mystery
Shroud
Form a cover like a shroud;
Mist shrouded the castle
Shroud
Wrap in a shroud;
Shroud the corpses
Common Curiosities
What are some common materials for veils?
Veils are often made from silk, lace, or tulle.
Are shrouds decorated?
Typically, shrouds are simple and not decorated, focusing on functionality.
How do shrouds and veils differ in transparency?
Shrouds are opaque, while veils can range from sheer to semi-transparent.
Are veils worn only by women?
While traditionally worn by women, veils can also be worn by men in some cultural contexts.
Is it common to use a veil in everyday attire?
In some cultures, wearing a veil is common in everyday attire, while in others, it is reserved for specific occasions.
What is the primary purpose of a shroud?
A shroud is primarily used to cover a body for burial.
Can a veil be used for purposes other than religious or cultural?
Yes, veils can also be used for fashion and protective purposes.
Can veils be part of a legal or symbolic gesture?
Yes, in some legal and symbolic contexts, veils are used to signify legal or symbolic gestures.
Can a shroud have symbolic meanings beyond death?
Generally, shrouds symbolize death and finality, but they can also represent peace and dignity.
What does it mean to be "shrouded in mystery"?
It means to be covered or hidden in a way that is mysterious and not easily understood.
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Written by
Fiza RafiqueFiza Rafique is a skilled content writer at AskDifference.com, where she meticulously refines and enhances written pieces. Drawing from her vast editorial expertise, Fiza ensures clarity, accuracy, and precision in every article. Passionate about language, she continually seeks to elevate the quality of content for readers worldwide.
Co-written by
Maham Liaqat
