Umbral
/ˈʌm.brəl/noun
Relating to a threshold, boundary, or the edge of a shadow or eclipse.
Did you know?The word ultimately traces back to Latin umbra, “shadow,” which also gave English umbrage, so even “taking offense” began as being cast in someone’s shade.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*h₂ewes- / *h₂embʰ-
“A proposed ancestral root connected with shadow or darkness”
Latin
Latin
umbra
“Shadow, shade, or a ghostly shade”
Late Latin
Latin
umbrālis
“Of a shadow or threshold; shaded, belonging to shade”
Middle French
Old French
ombral
“Shaded; relating to shadow or a border area”
14th–15th Century
English
umbral
“Relating to a threshold or shadow; later, the dark central part of an eclipse”
Modern English
English
umbral
“Of or relating to an umbra; situated at the threshold or in deep shadow”