Adjacent Words

umbrella definitions

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WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

adj
1: covering or applying simultaneously to a number of similar items or elements or groups; "an umbrella organization"; "umbrella insurance coverage" n
1: a lightweight handheld collapsible canopy
2: a formation of military planes maintained over ground operations or targets; "an air umbrella over England"
3: 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"

Merriam Webster's

I. noun Etymology: Italian ombrella, modification of Latin umbella, diminutive of umbra Date: 1611 1. a collapsible shade for protection against weather consisting of fabric stretched over hinged ribs radiating from a central pole; especially a small one for carrying in the hand 2. the bell-shaped or saucer-shaped largely gelatinous structure that forms the chief part of the body of most jellyfishes 3. something which provides protection: as a. defensive air cover (as over a battlefront) b. a heavy barrage 4. something which covers or embraces a broad range of elements or factors <decided to expand…by building new colleges under a federation umbrella — Diane Ravitch> II. transitive verb (-laed; -laing) Date: 1834 to protect, cover, or provide with an umbrella

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. 1 a light portable device for protection against rain, strong sun, etc., consisting of a usu. circular canopy of cloth mounted by means of a collapsible metal frame on a central stick. 2 protection or patronage. 3 (often attrib.) a coordinating or unifying agency (umbrella organization). 4 a screen of fighter aircraft or a curtain of fire put up as a protection against enemy aircraft. 5 Zool. the gelatinous disc of a jellyfish etc., which it contracts and expands to move through the water. Phrases and idioms: umbrella bird any S. American bird of the genus Cephalopterus, with a black radiating crest and long wattles. umbrella pine 1 = stone pine. 2 a tall Japanese evergreen conifer, Sciadopitys verticillata, with leaves in umbrella-like whorls. umbrella stand a stand for holding closed upright umbrellas. umbrella tree a small magnolia, Magnolia tripetala, with leaves in a whorl like an umbrella. Derivatives: umbrellaed adj. umbrella-like adj. Etymology: It. ombrella, dimin. of ombra shade f. L umbra: see UMBRA

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Umbrella Um*brel"la, n. [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. (Zo["o]l.) The umbrellalike disk, or swimming bell, of a jellyfish. 3. (Zo["o]l.) Any marine tectibranchiate gastropod of the genus Umbrella, having an umbrella-shaped shell; -- called also umbrella shell. Umbrella ant (Zo["o]l.), the sauba ant; -- so called because it carries bits of leaves over its back when foraging. Called also parasol ant. Umbrella bird (Zo["o]l.), a South American bird (Cephalopterus ornatus) of the family Cotingid[ae]. 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. (Zo["o]l.) 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).

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(umbrellas) 1. An umbrella is an object which you use to protect yourself from the rain or hot sun. It consists of a long stick with a folding frame covered in cloth. Harry held an umbrella over Dawn. N-COUNT 2. Umbrella is used to refer to a single group or description that includes a lot of different organizations or ideas. Does coincidence come under the umbrella of the paranormal?... Within the umbrella term 'dementia' there are many different kinds of disease. N-SING: usu N of n, supp N, N n 3. Umbrella is used to refer to a system or agreement which protects a country or group of people. The major powers have chosen to act under the moral umbrella of the United Nations... N-SING: N of n, supp N

Foolish Dictionary

A good thing to put up in a shower--or pawn-shop; but, like skating, never seen after Lent.

Moby Thesaurus

aegis, agency, air cover, air raid, air support, arm guard, awning, backstop, beach umbrella, blind, bombing, brolly, buffer, bulwark, bumbershoot, bumper, chute, contraceptive, copyright, cover, coverage, crash helmet, curtain, cushion, dashboard, dodger, drape, drapery, drogue chute, dry run, face mask, fender, finger guard, foot guard, fuse, gamp, goggles, governor, guard, guardrail, hand guard, handrail, hard hat, harness, helmet, insulation, interlock, knee guard, knuckle guard, laminated glass, life preserver, lifeline, light shield, lightning conductor, lightning rod, mask, milk run, mission, mudguard, nose guard, pack, pad, padding, palladium, parachute, parachute jump, parasol, patent, patronage, pilot, preventive, prophylactic, protection, protective clothing, protective umbrella, reconnaissance, reconnaissance mission, safeguard, safety, safety glass, safety plug, safety rail, safety shoes, safety switch, safety valve, scramble, screen, seat belt, shade, shader, shadow, shield, shin guard, shroud lines, shuttle raid, sky dive, sortie, strafing, sun helmet, sunblind, sunshade, training mission, veil, vent, windscreen, windshield