umbrage

WOTD - 13 July 2007    

English

Etymology

From Latin umbrāticus (“in the shade”), from umbra (“shadow", "shade”)

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈʌm.brɪdʒ/

• Audio (US)

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Noun

umbrage (plural umbrages)

1. Feeling of anger or annoyance caused by something offensive.
   • 1922, James Joyce, Ulysses Episode 16

     --He took umbrage at something or other, that muchinjured but on the whole eventempered person declared, I let slip.

   • 1960, P. G. Wodehouse, Jeeves in the Offing, chapter VI:

     If she knew [a psychiatrist was] observing her son with a view to finding out if he was foggy between the ears, there would be umbrage on her part, or even dudgeon.

2. Feeling of doubt.
3. Leaves that provide shade, as the foliage of trees
4. (obsolete) shadow, shade
   • 1602, William Shakespeare, Hamlet, act V scene 1

     [...] but in the verity of extolment I take him to be a soul of great article and his infusion of such dearth and rareness as, to make true diction of him, his semblable in his mirror, and who else would trace him, his umbrage, nothing more.

Synonyms

• (feeling of anger or annoyance): annoyance, displeasure, odium, offense, resentment, huff, miff, peeve, pique
• (feeling of doubt): suspicion

Derived terms

• take umbrage
• umbrageous

Translations

Chamicuro: suchi Icelandic: þykkja f., gremja f., skapraun f., skuggi m. (3), forsæla f. (3), laufskrúð n., laufskrúð sem veitir forsælu n.

Verb

umbrage (third-person singular simple present umbrages, present participle umbraging, simple past and past participle umbraged)

1. (transitive) To displease or cause offense.
2. (transitive) To shade.

Translations

to shade

Icelandic: skyggja, veita forsælu