n. 1. Offense or resentment: "On one occasion her insults had been so brilliant and finely calculated that the groom took umbrage and cancelled the wedding." (Salman Rushdie). 2. Archaic a. Shadow or shade: "the Red Maple ... with its cool, deep, yet not oppressive umbrage" (Donald Culross Peattie). b. Trees or foliage affording shade. [Middle English, shade, from Old French, from Latin umbrāticum, neuter of umbrāticus, of shade, from umbra, shadow.] |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.