The Arabic word "Hijab" can be translated as "cover, wrap, curtain, veil, screen, partition", among other meanings. In the Quran it refers to notions of separation, protection and covering in both literal and metaphorical senses. Subsequently, the word hasevolved in meaning and now usually denotes a Muslim woman's veil or the notion of separation between the sexes. In English, the terms refers predominantly to the islamic head covering for women and its underlying religious precepts.