UMBRELLA

umbrella

(adjective) covering or applying simultaneously to a number of similar items or elements or groups; “an umbrella organization”; “umbrella insurance coverage”

umbrella

(noun) having the function of uniting a group of similar things; “the Democratic Party is an umbrella for many liberal groups”; “under the umbrella of capitalism”

umbrella

(noun) a formation of military planes maintained over ground operations or targets; “an air umbrella over England”

umbrella

(noun) a lightweight handheld collapsible canopy

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology

Noun

umbrella (plural umbrellas)

Cloth-covered frame used for protection against rain or sun.

Generally, anything that provides protection.

Something that covers a wide range of concepts, purposes, groups, etc.

The main body of a jellyfish, excluding the tentacles.

(photography, television) An umbrella-shaped reflector with a white or silvery inner surface, used to diffuse a nearby light.

Synonyms

• rainshade

• brolly (colloquial)

• gamp (dated, colloquial)

• parasol

Verb

umbrella (third-person singular simple present umbrellas, present participle umbrellaing, simple past and past participle umbrellaed)

(transitive) To cover or protect, as if by an umbrella.

(intransitive) To form the dome shape of an open umbrella.

(intransitive) To move like a jellyfish.

Anagrams

• umbellar

Source: Wiktionary


Um*brel"la, n. Etym: [It. umbrella, fr. ombra a shade, L. umbra; cf. L. umbella a sunshade, a parasol. Cf. Umbel, Umbrage.]

1. A shade, screen, or guard, carried in the hand for sheltering the person from the rays of the sun, or from rain or snow. It is formed of silk, cotton, or other fabric, extended on strips of whalebone, steel, or other elastic material, inserted, or fastened to, a rod or stick by means of pivots or hinges, in such a way as to allow of being opened and closed with ease. See Parasol. Underneath the umbrella's oily shed. Gay.

2. (Zoöl.)

Definition: The umbrellalike disk, or swimming bell, of a jellyfish.

3. (Zoöl.)

Definition: Any marine tectibranchiate gastropod of the genus Umbrella, having an umbrella-shaped shell; -- called also umbrella shell. Umbrella ant (Zoöl.), the sauba ant; -- so called because it carries bits of leaves over its back when foraging. Called also parasol ant.

– Umbrella bird (Zoöl.), a South American bird (Cephalopterus ornatus) of the family Cotingidæ. It is black, with a large handsome crest consisting of a mass of soft, glossy blue feathers curved outward at the tips. It also has a cervical plume consisting of a long, cylindrical dermal process covered with soft hairy feathers. Called also dragoon bird.

– Umbrella leaf (Bot.), an American perennial herb (Dyphylleia cymosa), having very large peltate and lobed radical leaves.

– Umbrella shell. (Zoöl.) See Umbrella, 3.

– Umbrella tree (Bot.), a kind of magnolia (M. Umbrella) with the large leaves arranged in umbrellalike clusters at the ends of the branches. It is a native of Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Kentucky. Other plants in various countries are called by this name, especially a kind of screw pine (Pandanus odoratissimus).

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

10 May 2024

MASQUERADE

(verb) pretend to be someone or something that you are not; “he is masquerading as an expert on the internet”; “This silly novel is masquerading as a serious historical treaty”


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