Definitions for umbrellaʌmˈbrɛl ə

ADVERTISEMENT

Random House Webster's College Dictionary

um•brel•la*ʌmˈbrɛl ə(n.)(pl.)-las.

  1. a light, portable, circular cover for protection from inclement weather, consisting of a collapsible, fabric-covered frame of thin ribs radiating from the top of a carrying stick or handle.

  2. Category: Zoology

    Ref: Also, bell. 1 1

  3. something that protects from above, as military aircraft safeguarding surface forces:

    an air umbrella.

  4. something, as an organization or policy, that encompasses a number of groups or elements.

    Category: Common Vocabulary

  5. (adj.)functioning or shaped like an umbrella.

  6. applying to or covering simultaneously a number of similar items, elements, or groups:

    the umbrella coverage of an insurance policy.

    Category: Common Vocabulary

* Pron: See police.

Origin of umbrella:

1600–10; < It ombrello < LL umbrella, alter. (with influence of L umbra shade) of L umbella sunshade. See umbel

Princeton's WordNet

  1. umbrella(noun)

    a lightweight handheld collapsible canopy

  2. umbrella(noun)

    a formation of military planes maintained over ground operations or targets

    "an air umbrella over England"

  3. umbrella(adj)

    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"

  4. umbrella(adj)

    covering or applying simultaneously to a number of similar items or elements or groups

    "an umbrella organization"; "umbrella insurance coverage"

Kernerman English Learner's Dictionary

  1. umbrella(noun)ʌmˈbrɛl ə

    a device with a long handle that protects your head from rain or sun

    to put up an umbrella

Wiktionary

  1. umbrella(Noun)

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

    Quick, grab that umbrella before you get rained on!

  2. umbrella(Noun)

    Generally, anything that provides protection.

    The fighters provide a defensive air umbrella over the battle group.

  3. umbrella(Noun)

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

    The test facility was established under the umbrella of the company's quality program.

  4. umbrella(Noun)

    The main body of a jellyfish, excluding the tentacles.

    Jellyfish are composed of more than 90% water and most of their umbrella mass is made up of gelatinous material.

  5. Origin: From ombrella, umbrella, dim. of ombra, from umbra.

Webster Dictionary

  1. Umbrella(noun)

    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

  2. Umbrella(noun)

    the umbrellalike disk, or swimming bell, of a jellyfish

  3. Umbrella(noun)

    any marine tectibranchiate gastropod of the genus Umbrella, having an umbrella-shaped shell; -- called also umbrella shell


Translations for umbrella

Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary

umbrella(noun)

an apparatus for protecting a person from the rain, made of a folding covered framework attached to a stick with a handle

Take an umbrella; – it's going to rain.

Get even more translations for umbrella »


Citation

Use the citation below to add this definition to your bibliography:

Style:MLAChicagoAPA

"umbrella." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2013. Web. 19 May 2013. <http://www.definitions.net/definition/umbrella>.


The Web's Largest Resource for

Definitions & Translations


A Member Of The STANDS4 Network


Nearby & related entries:

Alternative searches for umbrella: