umbrella

The word “umbrella” means a portable folding frame covered in fabric, held overhead to give shelter from rain or sun. In plain terms, a rain shield you carry, or figuratively, a broad category that groups smaller things together.

“Umbrella” is pronounced uhm-BREHL-uh (/ʌmˈbɹɛl.ə/ in IPA).

Here is “umbrella” used in a sentence: “She opened her umbrella as the first drops of rain began to fall.”

Words with a similar meaning to “umbrella” include chatta, chatra, rainshade, parapluie, gamp and bumbershoot.

“Umbrella” is a noun.

The word “umbrella” comes from Late Latin. From Italian "ombrella" ("parasol"), from Late Latin "umbrella", influenced by "umbra" meaning "shade" or "shadow".

“Umbrella” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A1 level.

“Umbrella” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a portable folding frame covered in fabric, held overhead to give shelter from rain or sun.

Both are handheld canopies on a folding frame, but an umbrella is designed mainly to keep off rain, while a parasol is a lighter version made to provide shade from the sun. The word "parasol" comes from roots meaning "for the sun."

An umbrella is portable and handheld, opening and closing on a small frame you carry, while a canopy is a larger or fixed overhead cover, such as one over a doorway, bed, or market stall. The key difference is that an umbrella moves with you.

"Brolly" is an informal, affectionate word for an umbrella, common in British and Australian English. It means exactly the same thing but has a casual, everyday tone rather than a formal one.