Adjacent Words

Umber definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

UM'BER, n. In natural history, an ore of iron, a fossil of a brown, yellowish, or blackish brown color, so called from Ombria in Italy, where it was first obtained. It is used in painting. A specimen from Cyprus afforded, of a hundred parts, 48 parts of oxyd of iron, 20 of oxyd of manganese, the remainder silex, alumin and water.
UM'BER, n. A fowl of Africa, called the African crow.
The Scopus umbretta, a fowl of the grallic order, inhabiting Africa.
UM'BER, n. A fish of the truttaceous kind, called the grayling, or thymallus; a fresh water fish of a fine taste.
UM'BER, v.t. To color with umber; to shade or darken.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

adj
1: of the color of any of various natural brown earth pigments n
1: an earth pigment
2: a medium brown to dark-brown color [syn: chocolate, coffee, deep brown, umber, burnt umber]

Merriam Webster's

I. noun Etymology: probably from obsolete English, shade, color, from Middle English ombre, umbre shade, shadow, from Anglo-French, from Latin umbra — more at umbrage Date: 1568 1. a brown earth that is darker in color than ocher and sienna because of its content of manganese and iron oxides and is highly valued as a permanent pigment either in the raw or burnt state 2. a. a moderate to dark yellowish brown b. a moderate brown II. transitive verb (umbered; umbering) Date: 1610 to darken with or as if with umber III. adjective Date: 1802 of, relating to, or having the characteristics of umber; specifically of the color of umber

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. & adj. --n. 1 a natural pigment like ochre but darker and browner. 2 the colour of this. --adj. 1 of this colour. 2 dark, dusky. Etymology: F (terre d') ombre or It. (terra di) ombra = shadow (earth), f. L UMBRA or Umbra fem. of Umber Umbrian

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Umber Um"ber, n. [F. ombre ocherous ore of iron, terre d'ombre, It. terra d'ombra, literally, earth of shadow or shade, L. umbra shadow, shade. Cf. Umber, 3 & 4, Umbrage.] 1. (Paint.) A brown or reddish pigment used in both oil and water colors, obtained from certain natural clays variously colored by the oxides of iron and manganese. It is commonly heated or burned before being used, and is then called burnt umber; when not heated, it is called raw umber. See Burnt umber, below. 2. An umbrere. [Obs.] 3. [F. ombre, umbre, L. umbra.] (Zo["o]l.) See Grayling, 1. 4. [Cf. NL. scopus umbretta, F. ombrette; probably fr. L. umbra shade, in allusion to its dark brown color. See Umber a pigment.] (Zo["o]l.) An African wading bird (Scopus umbretta) allied to the storks and herons. It is dull dusky brown, and has a large occipital crest. Called also umbrette, umbre, and umber bird. Burnt umber (Paint.), a pigment made by burning raw umber, which is changed by this process from an olive brown to a bright reddish brown. Cologne, or German, umber, a brown pigment obtained from lignite. See Cologne earth.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Umber Um"ber, n. [F. ombre ocherous ore of iron, terre d'ombre, It. terra d'ombra, literally, earth of shadow or shade, L. umbra shadow, shade. Cf. Umber, 3 & 4, Umbrage.] 1. (Paint.) A brown or reddish pigment used in both oil and water colors, obtained from certain natural clays variously colored by the oxides of iron and manganese. It is commonly heated or burned before being used, and is then called burnt umber; when not heated, it is called raw umber. See Burnt umber, below. 2. An umbrere. [Obs.] 3. [F. ombre, umbre, L. umbra.] (Zo["o]l.) See Grayling, 1. 4. [Cf. NL. scopus umbretta, F. ombrette; probably fr. L. umbra shade, in allusion to its dark brown color. See Umber a pigment.] (Zo["o]l.) An African wading bird (Scopus umbretta) allied to the storks and herons. It is dull dusky brown, and has a large occipital crest. Called also umbrette, umbre, and umber bird. Burnt umber (Paint.), a pigment made by burning raw umber, which is changed by this process from an olive brown to a bright reddish brown. Cologne, or German, umber, a brown pigment obtained from lignite. See Cologne earth.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Umber Um"ber, a. Of or pertaining to umber; resembling umber; olive-brown; dark brown; dark; dusky. Their harps are of the umber shade That hides the blush of waking day. --J. R. Drake.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Umber Um"ber, v. t. To color with umber; to shade or darken; as, to umber over one's face. --B. Jonson.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Umbrere Um*brere, Umbriere Um*briere, n. [F. ombre a shade, L. umbra; cf. F. ombrelle a sunshade, OF. also ombri[`e]re. See Umbrella.] In ancient armor, a visor, or projection like the peak of a cap, to which a face guard was sometimes attached. This was sometimes fixed, and sometimes moved freely upon the helmet and could be raised like the beaver. Called also umber, and umbril. [Obs.] But only vented up her umbriere. --Spenser.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Grayling Gray"ling, n. [From Gray, a.] 1. (Zo["o]l.) A European fish (Thymallus vulgaris), allied to the trout, but having a very broad dorsal fin; -- called also umber. It inhabits cold mountain streams, and is valued as a game fish. And here and there a lusty trout, And here and there a grayling. --Tennyson. 2. (Zo["o]l.) An American fish of the genus Thymallus, having similar habits to the above; one species (T. Ontariensis), inhabits several streams in Michigan; another (T. montanus), is found in the Yellowstone region.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

Umber is used to describe things that are yellowish or reddish brown in colour. ...umber paint. COLOUR

Moby Thesaurus

beige, brown, brownish, brownish-yellow, brunet, chocolate, cinnamon, cocoa, cocoa-brown, coffee, coffee-brown, drab, dun, dun-brown, dun-drab, ecru, fawn, fawn-colored, fuscous, grege, hazel, khaki, lurid, nut-brown, olive-brown, olive-drab, seal, seal-brown, sepia, snuff-colored, sorrel, tan, taupe, tawny, toast, toast-brown, umber-colored, walnut, walnut-brown, yellowish-brown