Word of the Day

Friday October 22, 2010

• Today's Word |
• Yesterday's Word |
• Previous Words |
• Subscribe Now

umbrage [UHM-brij]

noun

1. Shade; shadow; obscurity; hence, that which affords a shade, as a screen of trees or foliage.
2. Shadowy resemblance; shadow.
3. The feeling of being overshadowed; jealousy; suspicion of injury or wrong; offense; resentment.

• The guy who took umbrage at everybody and everything and was Ninja-like in his ability to cut your throat on the course and still sleep like a baby.
  Reid Cherner, "Concussions give NFL a big headache", USA TODAY, Oct 20, 2010
• No, the misogynist of the hour is (allegedly) Jerry Brown. That's according to his opponent in the governor's race, Meg Whitman, who took umbrage at remarks recorded on voicemail after Brown inadvertently failed to hang up the phone when he left a message. In a blunder worthy of a "Three's Company" episode, the recorder captured Brown's frustration with Whitman's approach to pension reform in law enforcement.
  Meghan Daum, "As insults go, it's a yawner", Los Angeles Times, Oct 14, 2010
• The old man sighed. He took no umbrage at his companion's brusquely-expressed estimation of himself.
  Ridgwell Cullum The Story of the Foss River Ranch (1903)

Origin of the Word

Umbrage, approximately 1400, derives from Middle French ombrage "shade, shadow," from Latin umbra "shade, shadow."