vēlo, āvi, ātum, 1, v. a. [velum], to cover, cover up, wrap up, wrap, envelop, veil, etc. (class.; syn.: contego, induo).
I Lit.: capite velato, Cic. N. D. 2, 3, 10; Quint. 2, 13, 13; 6, 1, 48: caput velatum filo, Liv. 1, 32, 6; cf.: capita ante aras Phrygio amictu, Verg. A. 3, 545: varices, Quint. 11, 3, 143: partes tegendas, Ov. M. 13, 479: velanda corporis, Plin. Ep. 6, 24, 3: antennas, covered with or supporting the sails , Verg. A. 3, 549.—Of clothing: velatus togā, enveloped , clothed , Liv. 3, 26, 10: purpurea veste, Ov. M. 2, 23: tunicā, id. F. 3, 645: stolā, Hor. S. 1, 2, 71; Tib. 1, 5, 25 (3, 4, 55): amiculis, Curt. 3, 3, 10: umeros chlamyde, Spart. Sev. 19.—Of other objects: maternā tempora myrto, Verg. A. 5, 72: tempora purpureis tiaris, to wrap round , bind round , Ov. M. 11, 181: tempora vittis, id. P. 3, 2, 75: coronā, id. ib. 4, 14, 55; cf. in a Greek construction: Amphicus albenti velatus tempora vittā, id. M. 5, 110: cornua lauro, id. ib. 15, 592: frondibus hastam, id. ib. 3, 667: serta molas, id. F. 6, 312: Palatia sertis, id. Tr. 4, 2, 3: delubra deūm fronde, Verg. A. 2, 249: velatis manibus orant, ignoscamus peccatum suum, i. e. holding the velamenta (v. h. v. I. C.), Plaut. Am. 1, 1, 101; cf.: velati ramis oleae, Verg. A. 11, 101. —
B Milit. t. t.; P. a. as subst.: vēlāti , ōrum, m., soldiers who wore only a cloak; only in the phrase accensi velati, a kind of supernumerary troops who followed the army to fill the places of any who might fall , Cic. Rep. 2, 22, 40; and in late Lat. inscrr. freq. sing.: ACCENSVS VELATVS, one such soldier, Inscr. Orell. 111; 1368; 2153; 2182; v. accenseo, P. a. B.—
II Trop., to hide , conceal (post-Aug.; several times in Tac.; otherwise rare): odium fallacibus blanditiis, Tac. A. 14, 56: externa falsis armis, id. H. 4, 32; cf. id. A. 12, 61: primas adulescentis cupidines, id. ib. 13, 13: culpam invidiā, id. ib. 6, 29: scelere velandum est scelus, Sen. Hippol. 721: nihil (with omittere), Plin. Pan. 56, 1.—Hence, * vēlātō , adv., through a veil , darkly , obscurely : deum discere, Tert. adv. Marc. 4, 29.