shroud
n. countablen. a cloth used to wrap a dead body before it is buried. It can also describe a thick layer of something, like clouds or smoke, that hides things from view.
n. a length of cloth or an enveloping garment in which a dead person is wrapped for burial. Often used figuratively to describe a covering that conceals or obscures.
A thick shroud of fog covered the valley.
The ancient ruins were hidden beneath a heavy shroud of vines and tropical overgrowth for centuries.
The mountain peak remained invisible behind a persistent shroud of grey mist, frustrating the climbers who had hoped for a clear view of the summit.
From Middle English shroud, from Old English sċrūd, from Proto-Germanic *skrūdą. Cognate with Old Norse skrúð (“the shrouds of a ship”) ( > Danish, Norwegian skrud (“splendid attire”)).
From Middle English schrouden (> Anglo-Latin scrudāre), from Middle English schroud (“shroud”) (see above).
Variant of shred.
Commonly used in the metaphorical phrase 'a shroud of' followed by an uncountable noun like 'mist', 'silence', or 'secrecy'.