English

Proper noun

Vela

1. (astronomy) A spring constellation of the northern sky, said to resemble the sails of a ship. Until 1763, it was part of a larger constellation, Argo Navis.

Derived terms

• Velorum

Translations

See also

• Argo
• Argo Navis
• Carina
• Puppis
• Pyxis

Anagrams

• avel
• eval
• lave
• leva
• vale
• veal

English

Noun

vela

1. plural of velum

Anagrams

• avel
• eval
• lave
• leva
• vale
• veal

Asturian

Noun

vela f ‎(plural veles)

1. watch (supervision)
2. sleeplessness
3. sail (a piece of fabric attached to a boat)
4. sailing (sport)
5. candle (a light source)

Catalan

Noun

vela f ‎(plural veles)

1. sail (on a boat)
2. sailing (sport)

Galician

Etymology 1

From Latin vēla, plural of vēlum.

Noun

vela f ‎(plural velas)

1. a sail
2. sailing

Etymology 2

From Latin vigilia.

Noun

vela f ‎(plural velas)

1. watch, vigil

Italian

Etymology

From Latin vēla, plural of vēlum.

Noun

vela f ‎(plural vele)

1. (nautical) sail
2. (nautical, sports) sailing

Verb

vela

1. third-person singular present indicative of velare
2. second-person singular imperative of velare

Anagrams

• lave, leva, vale

Ladin

Noun

vela f ‎(plural veles)

1. election

Latin

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /ˈwe.la/, [ˈwɛ.ɫa]

Noun

vela f ‎(genitive velae); first declension

1. Gallic Synonym of īriō
   • AD 77–79, C. Plinius Secundus (aut.), K.F.T. Mayhoff (ed.), Naturalis Historia (1906), bk XXII, ch. lxxv:

     irionem inter fruges sesamae similem esse diximus et a graecis erysimon vocari, galli velam appellant.

     When treating of the cereals, we have already stated that the irio, which strongly resembles sesame, is also called “erysimon” by the Greeks: the Gauls give it the name of “vela.” ― translation from: J. Bostock and H.T. Riley, The Natural History (1855), bk XXII, ch. lxxv

Declension

First declension.

Descendants

• French: vélar

References

• vela in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• VELA in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition, 1883–1887)
• Félix Gaffiot (1934), “vela”, in Dictionnaire Illustré Latin-Français, Paris: Hachette, page 1,651/2.
• Meissner, Carl; Auden, Henry William (1894) Latin Phrase-Book, London: Macmillan and Co.
  • (ambiguous) to put to sea: vela in altum dare (Liv. 25. 27)
    
  • (ambiguous) to set the sails: vela facere, pandere
    
  • (ambiguous) to set the sails: vela dare
    
  • (ambiguous) to furl the sails: vela contrahere (also metaph.)
    
  • (ambiguous) sails and rigging: vela armamentaque
    
• “uela” on page 2,022/1 of the Oxford Latin Dictionary (1st ed., 1968–82)

Etymology 2

Regularly declined forms of vēlum.

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /ˈweː.la/, [ˈweː.ɫa]

Noun

vēla n

1. nominative plural of vēlum
2. accusative plural of vēlum
3. vocative plural of vēlum

Etymology 3

A regularly conjugated form of vēlō.

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /ˈweː.laː/, [ˈweː.ɫaː]

Verb

vēlā

1. second-person singular present active imperative of vēlō

Portuguese

vela (1)

vela (2)

Alternative forms

• vella (obsolete)

Pronunciation

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈvɛ.lɐ/
• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈvɛ.la/, /ˈvɛ.lɐ/
• Hyphenation: ve‧la

Etymology 1

Back-formation from velar.

Noun

vela f (plural velas)

1. candle

   Eu acendi uma vela para iluminar a sala.‎

   I lit a candle to illuminate the room.

2. Short for vela de ignição.

Synonyms

• (candle): candeia

Descendants

• Kadiwéu: weela

Etymology 2

From Old Portuguese vela, an early borrowing from Latin vēla, plural of vēlum ‎(“sail of a ship”), from Proto-Indo-European *weg ‎(“to weave a web”). Displaced Old Portuguese vea.

Noun

vela f (plural velas)

1. (nautical) sail

   A embarcação tem dois mastros com velas quadradas.‎

   The ship has two masts with square sails.

2. (nautical, sports) sailing

   Vela é um desporto olímpico.‎

   Sailing is an Olympic sport.

Etymology 3

Verb

vela

1. third-person singular (ele and ela, also used with você and others) present indicative of velar
2. second-person singular (tu, sometimes used with você) affirmative imperative of velar

Spanish

Etymology 1

From velar, or from vigilia.

Noun

vela f ‎(plural velas)

1. candle
2. wakefulness, sleeplessness

   una noche en vela‎

   a sleepless night

3. vigil, watch

Synonyms

• (candle): cirio m, candela m
• (wakefulness): vigilia f

Derived terms

• a dos velas
• más derecho que una vela
• recoger velas

Related terms

• velar
• vigilia
• vigilar
• velorio
• duermevela

Verb

vela

1. Informal second-person singular (tú) affirmative imperative form of velar.
2. Formal second-person singular (usted) present indicative form of velar.
3. Third-person singular (él, ella, also used with usted^?) present indicative form of velar.

Etymology 2

From Latin vēla, plural of velum

Noun

vela f ‎(plural velas)

1. (nautical) sail
2. (nautical) sailing

Derived terms

• a toda vela

Related terms

• veleta
• velero
• velo

Etymology 3

From ver

Verb

vela

1. Informal second-person singular (tú) affirmative imperative form of ver. in pronominal form for singular feminine noun or person:

   Vela = see (or watch) her (for a female); see (or watch) it (for a feminine noun).

Anagrams

• lave
• leva
• vale

Swedish

Verb

vela

1. to be undecided, to hesitate, to do nothing because one hasn't decided on which action to take

Conjugation

Usage notes

• The supine is the same as for vilja ‎(“to want, to will”), which is the opposite of being undecided. Puns are made of this.

Zulu

Verb

-vela

1. to appear, to come into view
2. to happen, to occur
3. to come, to originate [+locative = from]

Inflection

This verb needs an inflection-table template.