Saying in a soft, indirect or veiled way something harsh, ugly or forbidden to name.
In Purgatory
the present things, with their false pleasure, turned my steps, as soon as your face was hidden.
"Your face was hidden" is the mild way of saying that Beatrice died. The formula spares the one who hears it the harsh word and makes death an absence of face.
Cantos XXX to XXXIII: Beatrice, Dante, to Beatrice, in the confession