Enveloped

Enveloped is the past participle and an adjective form of envelop, meaning to surround, cover, or enclose something completely. It can describe a physical wrapping as well as a surrounding atmosphere, light, fog, or emotion.

The word derives from Old French envelopper, with en- meaning “in” and a root related to wrapping or folding. In English, envelop and envelope have developed in parallel, with envelope typically serving as the noun for a wrapper and envelop as the verb or adjective form.

Usage and scope

In everyday language, enveloped describes something that is fully surrounded or hidden by another thing. For example, a package may be enveloped in brown paper, or a valley can be enveloped in mist. The term is also used metaphorically to describe conditions or feelings that seem to surround a person or situation, such as being enveloped by silence or darkness.

Domain-specific senses

In biology, enveloped refers to certain viruses that possess a lipid envelope derived from a host cell membrane, surrounding their protein capsid. In information security, envelope-based terminology appears in concepts like envelope encryption, where data is encrypted and then placed in an "envelope" protected by a separate key management mechanism.

Related terms

Envelope (noun) denotes the wrapper or outer covering, while enveloping describes the act or process of surrounding. Envelopment is a noun form referring to the act of enveloping or the state of being enveloped.