to take off your hat or other head covering as a mark of respect to someone

Crowned heads vailed before the statue of Beethoven, doing homage to the royalty of genius. 在贝多芬的雕像前人们纷纷脱帽，向这位天才中的天才表示敬意。

to let a flag touch the ground, as a mark of respect, for example when someone has died

When the flag is vailed on Remembrance Sunday, it is not considered as a desecration. 在阵亡将士纪念日降下国旗，垂至地面，并不是一种亵渎行为。