Umbel
/ˈʌm.bəl/noun
A flower cluster in which stalks of nearly equal length spread from a common point, like an umbrella.
Did you know?“Umbel” comes from Latin *umbella*, a diminutive of *umbra* (“shadow”), because the flower cluster was imagined like a little parasol or shade-maker.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*h₁engʷʰ-
“to bend, curve, or arch”
Latin
Latin
umbra
“shadow, shade”
Late Latin
Latin
umbella
“little shade; parasol”
Old French
Old French
ombele
“umbel; umbrella-like flower cluster”
16th Century
English
umbel
“a flower cluster with stalks arising from a common point”