umbra

See also: Umbra and umbră

English

Diagram of a large light source and a smaller occulting body, showing the relationships between the umbra, the region that receives no light from the source, so that it is fully shaded, the penumbra that receives light from only one part of the rim of the source, so that it is partly shaded, and the antumbra, that is so far from the occulting body that it receives light from the rim all the way around the source, though not from the full area of the light source.

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin umbra (“shadow”). Doublet of umber.

Pronunciation

• enPR: ŭmʹbrə, IPA^(key): /ˈʌmbɹə/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ʌmbɹə
• Hyphenation: um‧bra

Noun

umbra (plural umbras or umbrae or (obsolete) umbræ)

1. The fully shaded inner region of a shadow cast by an opaque object.
   1. (astronomy) The area on the earth or moon experiencing the total phase of an eclipse.
2. (astronomy) The central region of a sunspot.
3. (chiefly literary) A shadow.
4. (archaic) An uninvited guest brought along by one who was invited.
5. One of the family Umbridae of mudminnows.
6. One of genus Umbrina of drums (family Sciaenidae).
7. (mathematics) An element of the umbral calculus.
   • 2009, Ernesto Damiani, Ottavio D'Antona, Vincenzo Marra, From Combinatorics to Philosophy: The Legacy of G.-C. Rota, (page 113)#:

     In order to set up such an algorithm, we need the notion of multiplicative inverse of an umbra. Two umbrae are said to be multiplicative inverse to each other when αγ ≡ u.

Coordinate terms

• antumbra
• penumbra

Derived terms

• adumbrate
• antumbra
• Bernoulli umbra
• penumbra
• umbral
• umbra recta
• umbra versa
• umbrella

 

Translations

the fully shaded inner area of a shadow

• Afrikaans: kernskaduwee
• Catalan: ombra (ca) f
• Finnish: sydänvarjo (fi), täysvarjo, umbra (fi)
• German: Kernschatten (de) m
• Japanese: 本影 (ja)
• Serbo-Croatian: umbra (sh)
• Swedish: umbra (sv), kärnskugga

the central region of a sunspot

• Danish: umbra (da) c
• Finnish: umbra (fi)
• French: ombre (fr) f
• German: Umbra (de) f
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: umbra m

  Nynorsk: umbra m

a shadow — see shadow

Anagrams

• Burma, rumba

Catalan

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central, Balearic) [ˈum.bɾə]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia) [ˈum.bɾa]

Noun

umbra f (plural umbres)

1. female equivalent of umbre

Adjective

umbra

1. feminine singular of umbre

Danish

Etymology

From Latin umbra (“shadow”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɔmbra/, [ˈɔmb̥ʁɑ]

Noun

umbra c (singular definite umbraen, not used in plural form)

1. umber (pigment, colour)
2. (as an adjective) umber (of a reddish brown colour)

Finnish

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin umbra.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈumbrɑ/, [ˈum.brɑ̝]
• Rhymes: -umbrɑ
• Hyphenation^(key): umb‧ra

Noun

umbra

1. umbra

Declension

Inflection of umbra (Kotus type 10/koira, no gradation)
nominative		umbra	umbrat
genitive		umbran	umbrien
partitive		umbraa	umbria
illative		umbraan	umbriin
		singular	plural
nominative		umbra	umbrat
accusative	nom.	umbra	umbrat
	gen.	umbran
genitive		umbran	umbrien umbrain rare
partitive		umbraa	umbria
inessive		umbrassa	umbrissa
elative		umbrasta	umbrista
illative		umbraan	umbriin
adessive		umbralla	umbrilla
ablative		umbralta	umbrilta
allative		umbralle	umbrille
essive		umbrana	umbrina
translative		umbraksi	umbriksi
abessive		umbratta	umbritta
instructive		—	umbrin
comitative		See the possessive forms below.

Possessive forms of umbra (Kotus type 10/koira, no gradation)

first-person singular possessor singular plural nominative umbrani umbrani accusative nom. umbrani umbrani gen. umbrani genitive umbrani umbrieni umbraini rare partitive umbraani umbriani inessive umbrassani umbrissani elative umbrastani umbristani illative umbraani umbriini adessive umbrallani umbrillani ablative umbraltani umbriltani allative umbralleni umbrilleni essive umbranani umbrinani translative umbrakseni umbrikseni abessive umbrattani umbrittani instructive — — comitative — umbrineni second-person singular possessor singular plural nominative umbrasi umbrasi accusative nom. umbrasi umbrasi gen. umbrasi genitive umbrasi umbriesi umbraisi rare partitive umbraasi umbriasi inessive umbrassasi umbrissasi elative umbrastasi umbristasi illative umbraasi umbriisi adessive umbrallasi umbrillasi ablative umbraltasi umbriltasi allative umbrallesi umbrillesi essive umbranasi umbrinasi translative umbraksesi umbriksesi abessive umbrattasi umbrittasi instructive — — comitative — umbrinesi first-person plural possessor singular plural nominative umbramme umbramme accusative nom. umbramme umbramme gen. umbramme genitive umbramme umbriemme umbraimme rare partitive umbraamme umbriamme inessive umbrassamme umbrissamme elative umbrastamme umbristamme illative umbraamme umbriimme adessive umbrallamme umbrillamme ablative umbraltamme umbriltamme allative umbrallemme umbrillemme essive umbranamme umbrinamme translative umbraksemme umbriksemme abessive umbrattamme umbrittamme instructive — — comitative — umbrinemme second-person plural possessor singular plural nominative umbranne umbranne accusative nom. umbranne umbranne gen. umbranne genitive umbranne umbrienne umbrainne rare partitive umbraanne umbrianne inessive umbrassanne umbrissanne elative umbrastanne umbristanne illative umbraanne umbriinne adessive umbrallanne umbrillanne ablative umbraltanne umbriltanne allative umbrallenne umbrillenne essive umbrananne umbrinanne translative umbraksenne umbriksenne abessive umbrattanne umbrittanne instructive — — comitative — umbrinenne third-person possessor singular plural nominative umbransa umbransa accusative nom. umbransa umbransa gen. umbransa genitive umbransa umbriensa umbrainsa rare partitive umbraansa umbriaan umbriansa inessive umbrassaan umbrassansa umbrissaan umbrissansa elative umbrastaan umbrastansa umbristaan umbristansa illative umbraansa umbriinsa adessive umbrallaan umbrallansa umbrillaan umbrillansa ablative umbraltaan umbraltansa umbriltaan umbriltansa allative umbralleen umbrallensa umbrilleen umbrillensa essive umbranaan umbranansa umbrinaan umbrinansa translative umbrakseen umbraksensa umbrikseen umbriksensa abessive umbrattaan umbrattansa umbrittaan umbrittansa instructive — — comitative — umbrineen umbrinensa

Synonyms

• (part of a shadow): täysvarjo

Further reading

• “umbra”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎^[1] (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 2023-07-04

Anagrams

• Burma, burma, rumba

Interlingua

Etymology

From Latin.

Noun

umbra (plural umbras)

1. shadow

Italian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈum.bra/
• Rhymes: -umbra
• Hyphenation: ùm‧bra

Adjective

umbra

1. feminine singular of umbro

Noun

umbra f (plural umbre)

1. female equivalent of umbro

Anagrams

• bruma, rumba

Latin

Etymology

Generally connected with Lithuanian unksna (“shade”), from Proto-Indo-European *wnksrā-. This term is tentatively derived from Proto-Indo-European *(H)wenk- (“to bend”); however, the semantic leaps required to go from "bend" to "shade" are large and unlikely.

Alternatively, if from Old Latin *omra, possibly from a Proto-Indo-European *h₂mr-u-, *h₂mrup-; related to Ancient Greek ἀμαυρός (amaurós, “dark”), Luwian 𒈠𒅈𒉿𒄿𒀀 (“rot”), and 𒈠𒊒𒉿𒄿 (“rotten”) (also see Hittite Maraššantiya, their name for the Kızılırmak River), and this Indo-European source is said to be a possible borrowing from a Semitic root ḥ-m-r (“be red”), compare Arabic ح م ر (ḥ m r).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /ˈum.bra/, [ˈʊmbrä]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈum.bra/, [ˈumbrä]

Noun

umbra f (genitive umbrae); first declension

1. shadow
2. shade, ghost, phantom, apparition
3. (plural) the realm of shades, the shades, the world below or underworld
   • 29 BCE – 19 BCE, Virgil, Aeneid 4.25-26:

     “[...] vel Pater omnipotēns adigat mē fulmine ad umbrās,
     pallentīs umbrās Erebī noctemque profundam, [...].”

     “[...] or the Father almighty hurl me with his thunderbolt to the shades, the pallid shades and boundless night of Erebus [...].”
     (That is, the Underworld, or land of the dead. The repetition is an example of epanalepsis.)

4. drumfish

Declension

First-declension noun.

	singular	plural
nominative	umbra	umbrae
genitive	umbrae	umbrārum
dative	umbrae	umbrīs
accusative	umbram	umbrās
ablative	umbrā	umbrīs
vocative	umbra	umbrae

Derived terms

• umbella
• umbrāculum
• umbrāliter
• umbrāticola
• umbrāticus
• umbrātilis
• umbrēscō
• umbrifer
• umbrō
• umbrōsus

 

Related terms

• umbrātiō

Descendants

• Latin sub umbra or ⇒ Vulgar Latin: *subumbrāre
  • Asturian: solombra, sombra
  • Dalmatian: sombreja
  • French: sombre
  • Galician: sombra, sôma
  • Ladino: solombra
  • Mirandese: selombra
  • Portuguese: sombra
  • Romansch: sumbriva, sumbreiva
  • Spanish: sombra
• Aragonese: huembra
• Aromanian: aumbrã, umbrã
• → English: umbra
• French: ombre
• Friulian: ombre
• Galician: ombre
• Italian: ombra
• Old Occitan: ombra
  • Catalan: ombra
  • Occitan: ombra
• Romanian: umbră
• Romansch: umbriva
• Russian: умбра (umbra)
• Sardinian: umbara, umbra, urma
• Sicilian: ummra
• Spanish: umbra
• Venetan: onbra, onbria, onbrìa

References

• “umbra”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “umbra”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• umbra in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
• Carl Meißner, Henry William Auden (1894) Latin Phrase-Book‎^[2], London: Macmillan and Co.
  • to exert oneself in the schools: desudare in scholae umbra or umbraculis
    
• “umbra”, in Harry Thurston Peck, editor (1898), Harper's Dictionary of Classical Antiquities, New York: Harper & Brothers

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From Latin umbra (“shade, shadow”).

Noun

umbra m (definite singular umbraen, indefinite plural umbraer or umbraar, definite plural umbraene or umbraane)

1. (chemistry)
2. a dark earthy colour
3. (astronomy) the shade from a planet
4. (astronomy, by extension) central region of a sunspot

References

• “umbra” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Romanian

Noun

umbra f

1. definite nominative/accusative singular of umbră

Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈumbɾa/ [ˈũm.bɾa]
• Rhymes: -umbɾa
• Syllabification: um‧bra

Etymology 1

Noun

umbra f (plural umbras)

1. female equivalent of umbro

Adjective

umbra

1. feminine singular of umbro

Etymology 2

Noun

umbra f (plural umbras)

1. (obsolete) shade, shadow

Further reading

• “umbra”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10