um‧brel‧la /ʌmˈbrelə/
noun [countable][
Date: 1600-1700;
Language: Italian;
Origin: ombrella, from Latin umbella, from umbra; ⇒ umbrage]
1. an object that you use to protect yourself against rain or hot sun. It consists of a circular folding frame covered in cloth ⇒
parasol:
It started to rain, so Tricia stopped to put up her umbrella. I spent the day on the beach, lying under a beach umbrella, reading.2. umbrella organization/group/agency etc an organization that includes many smaller groups
3. umbrella term/word/title etc a word whose meaning includes many different types of a particular thing:
District nurses, health visitors, and school nurses will come under the umbrella term ‘community nursing’.4. (come/work etc) under the umbrella of something to be part of a larger organization or involved in the work done by it:
The international education program came under the umbrella of the State Department.5. the protection given by a powerful country, army, a weapons system etc:
the American nuclear umbrella over western Europe [TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲