shroud

[shroud]

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.

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

/ 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

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of shroud¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of shroud¹

Old English scrūd garment; related to Old Norse skrūth gear

Example Sentences

But details of how it was built have been shrouded in secrecy, and human rights groups have criticised the alleged harsh treatment of workers.

From BBC

"The phrase 'unknown baby' written on the shrouds of thousands of Gazan children opens irreparable wounds in our consciences," Mrs Erdogan wrote.

From BBC

Footage depicted mourners crying and embracing each other, while others in the crowd carried Al-Sharif’s shrouded corpse and chanted, “With our soul and blood, we will sacrifice ourselves for you, Anas.”

From Los Angeles Times

Suddenly, it’s no longer a silhouette in the haze but a scarecrow, shrouded in hay, lurching toward me.

From Los Angeles Times

Others were bloodied from shards of broken glass or hid for hours on the roofs or beneath the leaves and plastic shrouding.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• cloak 
• pall 
• veil