shroud

American  

[shroud] / ʃraʊd /

noun

1. a cloth or sheet in which a corpse is wrapped for burial.

   Synonyms:

   winding sheet

2. something that covers or conceals like a garment.

   a shroud of rain.

3. Nautical. any of a number of taut ropes or wires converging from both sides on the head of a lower or upper mast of the outer end of a bowsprit to steady it against lateral sway: a part of the standing rigging.

4. Also called shroud line.  Aeronautics. any of a number of suspension cords of a parachute attaching the load to the canopy.

5. Also called shrouding.  Machinery.

   1. (on a nonmetallic gear) an extended metal rim enclosing the ends of the teeth on either side.

   2. (on a water wheel) one of two rings of boards or plates enclosing the buckets at their ends.

6. Rocketry. a cone-shaped shield that protects the payload of a launch vehicle.

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verb (used with object)

1. to wrap or clothe for burial; enshroud.

2. to cover; hide from view.

   Synonyms:

   screen, conceal

3. to veil, as in obscurity or mystery.

   They shrouded their past lives in an effort to forget.

4. to provide (a water wheel) with a shroud.

5. Obsolete. to shelter.

verb (used without object)

1. Archaic. to take shelter.

shroud British  

/ ʃraʊd /

noun

1. a garment or piece of cloth used to wrap a dead body

2. anything that envelops like a garment

   a shroud of mist

3. a protective covering for a piece of equipment

4. astronautics a streamlined protective covering used to protect the payload during a rocket-powered launch

5. nautical one of a pattern of ropes or cables used to stay a mast

6. any of a set of wire cables stretched between a smokestack or similar structure and the ground, to prevent side sway

7. Also called: shroud line.  any of a set of lines running from the canopy of a parachute to the harness

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verb

1. (tr) to wrap in a shroud

2. (tr) to cover, envelop, or hide

3. archaic to seek or give shelter

Other Word Forms

• shroudless adjective
• shroudlike adjective

Etymology

Origin of shroud

before 1000; (noun) Middle English; Old English scrūd; cognate with Old Norse skrūth; akin to shred; (v.) Middle English shrouden, derivative of the noun; replacing Middle English shriden, Old English scrȳdan, derivative of scrūd

Example Sentences

But in the weeks that followed, details of his whereabouts were shrouded in mystery - until he stepped off a flight in Indonesia.

From BBC

Its long, wispy branches swayed in the breeze and brushed against the car, like a curtain, shrouding us in privacy.

From Literature

Clare picked his way across the clearing, adjusting his hood to shroud his face.

From Literature

But in the weeks that followed, details of his whereabouts were shrouded in mystery - until he stepped off a flight in Bali.

From BBC

But in the weeks that followed details of his whereabouts were shrouded in mystery - until he stepped off a flight in Bali.

From BBC

Related Words

• cloak
• pall
• veil