The word "掩饰" is formed by combining two characters, each contributing a layer of meaning to create a unified concept. The first character, 掩 (yǎn), carries the core idea of "to cover" or "to conceal", as in physically hiding something from sight. The second character, 饰 (shì), adds the notion of "to decorate", "to adorn", or "to polish", implying an act of making something appear better or different than it is. Together, they fuse into a single verb meaning "to cover up and embellish", specifically describing the act of concealing a truth, fault, or emotion by putting on a false, often more favorable, appearance. The formation is a direct conceptual synthesis: first the covering, then the decorating of that cover.