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Origin and history of umbra

umbra(n.)

1590s, "phantom, ghost," a figurative use from Latin umbra "shade, shadow" (see umbrage). The astronomical sense of "shadow cast by the earth or moon during an eclipse" is recorded by 1670s. The meaning "an uninvited guest accompanying an invited one" is from 1690s in English, from a secondary sense among the Romans. Related: Umbral.

also from 1590s

Entries linking to umbra

umbrage(n.)

early 15c., "shadow, darkness, shade" (senses now obsolete), from Old French ombrage "shade, shadow," from noun use of Latin umbraticum "of or pertaining to shade; being in retirement," neuter of umbraticus "of or pertaining to shade," from umbra "shade, shadow," from PIE root *andho- "blind; dark" (source also of Sanskrit andha-, Avestan anda- "blind, dark").

Especially shade from the foliage of trees. The word had many figurative uses in 17c.; the meaning "suspicion that one has been slighted," is recorded by 1610s from the notion of being "overshadowed" by another and consigned to obscurity.

Hence phrase take umbrage at, attested by 1670s. Compare modern (by 2013) slang verbal phrase throw shade "(subtly) insult (something or someone)."

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    umber
    brown earthy pigment, 1560s, from French ombre (in terre d'ombre), or Italian ombra (in terra di ombra), both from Latin umbra..."shade, shadow" (see umbrage) or else from Umbra, fem. of Umber "belonging to Umbria," region in central Italy from which...
    penumbra
    shadow of an eclipse," coined 1604 by Kepler from Latin pæne "nearly, almost, practically," which is of uncertain origin, + umbra...are excluded from the view of some part of the luminous body, and are thus partially shaded; while all points within the umbra...
    umbrella
    " c. 1600, first attested in Donne's letters, from Italian ombrello, from Late Latin umbrella, altered (by influence of umbra...) from Latin umbella "sunshade, parasol," diminutive of umbra "shade, shadow" (see umbrage)....
    shadow
    Many of the modern English senses also were in Latin umbra, Greek skia, along with that of "uninvited guest who an invited...Shadow of Death (c. 1200) translates Vulgate umbra mortis (Psalms xxiii.4, etc.), which translates Greek skia thanatou, itself...
    doctor
    c. 1300, doctour, "Church father," from Old French doctour and directly from Medieval Latin doctor "religious teacher, adviser, scholar," in classical Latin "teacher," agent noun from docere "to show, teach, cause to know," originally "make to appear right," causative of decere "
    stamina
    1670s, "rudiments or original elements of something," from Latin stamina "threads," plural of stamen (genitive staminis) "thread, warp" (see stamen). The sense of "power to resist or recover, strength, endurance" is attested by 1726 (originally plural), from the earlier meaning "
    Christ
    "the Anointed," synonymous with and translating to Greek  Hebrew mashiah (see messiah), a title given to Jesus of Nazareth; Old English crist (by 830, perhaps 675), from Latin Christus, from Greek khristos "the anointed," noun use of verbal adjective of khriein "to rub, anoi
    wait
    c. 1200, "to watch with hostile intent, lie in wait for, plot against," from Anglo-French and Old North French waitier "to watch" (Old French gaitier "defend, watch out, be on one's guard; lie in wait for;" Modern French guetter), from Frankish *wahton or another Germanic source,
    explicit
    1610s, "open to the understanding, not obscure or ambiguous," from French explicite, from Latin explicitus "unobstructed," variant past participle of explicare "unfold, unravel, explain," from ex "out" (see ex-) + plicare "to fold" (from PIE root *plek- "to plait"). As a euphemis
    fashion
    c. 1300, fasoun, "physical make-up or composition; form, shape; appearance," from Old French façon, fachon, fazon "face, appearance; construction, pattern, design; thing done; beauty; manner, characteristic feature" (12c.), from Latin factionem (nominative factio) "a making or do

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