Since 1992
Print and digital marketing
By Barbara McAllister
Word of the Day: Umbrella
April showers bring forth May flowers and April umbrellas. The word umbrella comes from the Latin “umbros,” for shade. Also from the Latin is the word penumbra, meaning “partially shaded,” and the word umbrage, meaning an offense or insult. Umbrage originally meant something shady or having a shadow of suspicion. It’s the original version of “throwing shade,” used today to mean to insult or criticize someone.
The word parasol, Latin for “shield sun” and umbrella are often used interchangeably as both were originally designed to provide shade from the sun. Umbrellas are now predominantly used as rain protection, although the modern umbrella is basically the same design as those used in ancient Greece and Rome. Modern technology and materials have enabled new uses for the humble umbrella. The British Royal family and French President Nicolas Sarkozy were among the first to use Kevlar-coated umbrellas as security measures. Bulgarian dissident writer Georgi Markov was assassinated in 1978 by a KGB agent when he was jabbed in the leg with the poisoned tip of an umbrella. The umbrella became the predominant symbol of the 2014 Hong Kong protests, where it was used as protection against police pepper spray. It spawned the terms “umbrella movement” or “umbrella revolution.”
The majority of modern umbrellas are made in China, where the city of Shangyu is known as “Umbrella City.” It alone has over one thousand umbrella factories. Although it is hard to think of an Englishman without an umbrella, it’s the Japanese who are reported to carry the most umbrellas. National Umbrella Day is celebrated annually on Feb. 10 to honor one of the world’s most enduring, useful inventions.
