Umbrellas, Parasols

An umbrella is a collapsible canopy that protects a person from rain or sun. They can be made by stretching a fabric or other material over a wire frame and have a handle for carrying or securing in a base. more...

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The person is kept dry by the fabric which is usually waterproof and water rolls off the sides.

An umbrella made for protection from the sun is called a parasol. These are often meant to be fixed to one point and often used with patio tables or other outdoor furniture, or on the beach for shelter from the sun. However parasols can also be hand held devices.

The word umbrella is from the Latin word umbra for shade or shadow. Brolly is a slang word for umbrella, used often in Britain and Australia.

Derivation

Umbrella is another term for the parasol, which was first used as a protection against the scorching heat of the sun, "para" meaning prepare or shield and "sol" meaning sun. The word "umbrella" has evolved from the latin "umbella" (and "umbel" is a flat-topped rounded flower) or "umbra" meaning shade.

History

China

The collapsible and ily supported umbrella is cocredited as being invented during Cao Wei in ancient China, roughly 1,700 years ago. The Chinese character for umbrella is 傘 (san) and is a pictograph resembling the modern umbrella in design. Some investigators have supposed that its invention was suggested by large leaves tied to the branching extremities of a bough; others assert that the idea was probably derived from the tent, which remains in form unaltered to the present day. However, the tradition existing in China is that it originated in standards and banners waving in the air, hence the use of the umbrella was often linked to high ranking (though not necessarily royalty in China). On one occasion at least, we hear of twenty-four umbrellas being carried before the Emperor when he went out hunting. In this case the umbrella served as a defence against rain rather than sun. The Chinese design was later brought to Japan via Korea and also introduced to Persia and the West via the Silk Road. The Chinese and Japanese traditional parosol, often used near temples, to this day remains similar to the original Wei Dynasty design.

An even older source on the umbrella comes from an ancient book of Chinese ceremonies, called Zhou-Li (The Rites of Zhou), dating 2400 years ago, which directs that upon the imperial cars the dais should be placed. The figure of this dais contained in Zhou-Li, and the description of it given in the explanatory commentary of Lin-hi-ye, both identify it with an umbrella. The latter describes the dais to be composed of 28 arcs, which are equivalent to the ribs of the modern instrument, and the staff supporting the covering to consist of two parts, the upper being a rod 3/18 of a Chinese foot in circumference, and the lower a tube 6/10 in circumference, into which the upper half is capable of sliding and closing...

Read more at Wikipedia.org