What does vail mean?
Vail is an archaic English verb best understood in the sense “to lower” or “to let down,” especially a flag or sail. In older usage it could also mean to cover or conceal, as though drawing a veil over something. The verb belongs to formal and historical writing rather than ordinary modern conversation, so modern speakers are more likely to encounter it in older texts than to use it themselves. Its interest lies in a compact history of English vocabulary: the same word could describe covering something and lowering something associated with covering, especially fabric. The word ultimately comes through French from Latin, and its relatives include veil and sail. Though no longer a common everyday term, vail preserves a precise and once useful distinction: lowering a hanging flag or sail is not simply the modern verb lower in every literary or nautical context.
verb (archaic)To lower or let down, especially a flag or sail; formerly also, to cover, veil, or conceal.
- To lower or let down, especially a flag or sail.
- To descend or come down; archaic and rare.
- To cover, veil, or conceal; now obsolete.
"At sunset, the captain ordered the crew to vail the flag."
"The sailors vailed the flag as the ship entered the harbor."
"The evening mist began to vail the distant hills."
Saying that someone vailed the flag was once an ordinary way to describe lowering it; today the verb survives mainly in historical writing.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of vail
Vail comes through Middle English from Old French veiler, meaning “to cover or veil,” ultimately from Latin velare, “to cover,” which was derived from Latin velum, “sail” or “covering.” In earlier English, the word could mean to cover or conceal and came to be used for lowering or letting down a flag or sail. It shares this origin with veil and sail.
Related word forms
How vail is actually used
Vail is literary, archaic, or historical rather than part of standard modern conversation. Its concealment sense is obsolete, while the lowering sense is chiefly encountered in older nautical and formal contexts.
Easily confused with vail
Veil is the standard modern noun and verb for a covering or for concealing something, whereas vail is archaic and is now encountered chiefly in historical or literary contexts.