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umbrella
umbrella a small canopy used as a protection against the sun in China, Egypt, and elsewhere in remote antiquity. It was often an emblem of rank. During the Middle Ages the umbrella became almost extinct in Europe; its usefulness was not rediscovered until the late 16th cent., when it was introduced as the parapluie (Fr.,=against the rain). Its use did not become general, however, until the late 18th cent., when it is said to have been introduced in England by Jonas Hanway; umbrellas were first manufactured on the Continent after 1787. Their construction has not varied greatly through the ages though modern materials, such as steel for the ribs and synthetic fabrics for the covering, have replaced the oiled paper, bamboo, and wood of the ancient versions. In the mid-19th cent. the parasol (Fr.,=against the sun) emerged, distinguished from the umbrella in being solely a sunshade, and became, until the coming of the automobile, a necessary accessory of dress. Within the obvious limitations of its form, the modern umbrella has taken on a variety of shapes, from nearly flat to the long, curved bird-cage design. |
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"umbrella." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "umbrella." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-umbrella.html "umbrella." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-umbrella.html |
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umbrella
um·brel·la / ˌəmˈbrelə/ • n. 1. a device consisting of a circular canopy of cloth on a folding metal frame supported by a central rod, used as protection against rain or sometimes sun. ∎ fig. a protecting force or influence: the American nuclear umbrella over the west. ∎ a screen of fighter aircraft or antiaircraft artillery. ∎ [usu. as adj.] a thing that includes or contains many different elements or parts: an umbrella organization. 2. Zool. the gelatinous disk of a jellyfish, which it contracts and expands to move through the water. DERIVATIVES: um·brel·laed adj.um·brel·la·like / -ˌlīk/ adj. |
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"umbrella." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "umbrella." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-umbrella.html "umbrella." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-umbrella.html |
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umbrella
umbrella XVII (also -ello). — It. ombrella, -o, dim. of ombra :- L. umbra (shadow, shade), after umbella (see UMBEL).
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T. F. HOAD. "umbrella." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. T. F. HOAD. "umbrella." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-umbrella.html T. F. HOAD. "umbrella." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-umbrella.html |
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umbrella
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JAMES STEVENS CURL. "umbrella." A Dictionary of Architecture and Landscape Architecture. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JAMES STEVENS CURL. "umbrella." A Dictionary of Architecture and Landscape Architecture. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O1-umbrella.html JAMES STEVENS CURL. "umbrella." A Dictionary of Architecture and Landscape Architecture. 2000. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O1-umbrella.html |
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umbrella
umbrella n. a protecting force or influence: the American nuclear umbrella over the west.
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"umbrella." The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "umbrella." The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O63-umbrella.html "umbrella." The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military. 2001. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O63-umbrella.html |
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umbrella
umbrella A flat, circular structure, such as the disc or bell of a medusa.
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MICHAEL ALLABY. "umbrella." A Dictionary of Zoology. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. MICHAEL ALLABY. "umbrella." A Dictionary of Zoology. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O8-umbrella.html MICHAEL ALLABY. "umbrella." A Dictionary of Zoology. 1999. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O8-umbrella.html |
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umbrella
umbrella
•Allah, calla, Caracalla, Haller, inshallah, pallor, Valhalla, valour (US valor), Whyalla
•gabbler, tabla
•ambler, gambler, rambler, scrambler
•Adler, saddler
•handler
•angler, dangler, strangler, wrangler
•tackler • trampler • antler • dazzler
•Carla, challah, Douala, gala, Guatemala, Gujranwala, impala, kabbala, Kampala, koala, La Scala, Lingala, Mahler, Marsala, masala, nyala, parlour (US parlor), Sinhala, snarler, tala, tambala, Uppsala
•garbler • chandler • sparkler
•sampler
•a cappella, Arabella, Bella, bestseller, Capella, cellar, Cinderella, citronella, Clarabella, corella, Daniela, Della, dispeller, dweller, Ella, expeller, favela, fella, fellah, feller, Fenella, Floella, foreteller, Heller, impeller, interstellar, Keller, Louella, Mandela, mortadella, mozzarella, Nigella, novella, paella, panatella, patella, predella, propeller, queller, quinella, repeller, rosella, rubella, salmonella, Santiago de Compostela, seller, smeller, speller, Stella, stellar, tarantella, teller, umbrella, Viyella
•Puebla
•assembler, dissembler, trembler
•medlar, pedlar
•ländler
•fin de siècle, Hekla
•Kepler
•exempla, exemplar, Templar
•tesla, wrestler
•embezzler • Rockefeller
•knee-trembler • saltcellar
•bookseller • storyteller
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"umbrella." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "umbrella." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-umbrella.html "umbrella." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-umbrella.html |
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