A verb meaning to cover completely, to veil, or to conceal by covering. It appears almost exclusively in 1 Corinthians 11's complex instructions about head coverings in worship. The verb's prefix kata intensifies the action — a thorough, complete covering.
The head covering passage in 1 Corinthians 11 is among the most debated in the New Testament. At its theological core, however, is a profound meditation on glory and its appropriate veiling in worship. Moses veiled his face after encountering divine glory — the glory was too much, or perhaps too fading, to be displayed. The veil simultaneously reveals (there is glory here) and conceals (the full weight cannot yet be seen). Paul's concern with head coverings is ultimately about order, honor, and the proper acknowledgment of glory relationships. The deeper principle: worship involves rightly orienting to glory — neither flaunting nor hiding, but appropriate presentation before God.