English▸ noun a length of decorative drapery attached to the canopy or frame of a bed in order to screen the structure or the space beneath it.
▪ a sheet with a deep pleated or gathered border that is designed to hang down over the mattress and sides of a bed.
▪ mainly North American English a length of decorative drapery hung above a window to screen the curtain fittings.
▪ a protective panel screening the wheels of a vehicle.
– ORIGIN late Middle English: perhaps Anglo-Norman French, from a shortened form of Old French avaler ‘descend’ (see vail).