umbral

[ uhm-bruhl ]

adjective

1. of or like a shadow or shadowy apparition:

   Smoke was rising and beginning to coat the clouds a deep, umbral black.

   In an instant the vampire’s corporeal form dematerialized into an umbral form that quickly merged with the surrounding cover of night.

2. Astronomy.
   1. relating to or being the complete shadow of an opaque body, such as a planet, where all direct light from the source of illumination is cut off: Compare penumbral 1a.

      It was to be a very deep eclipse, with the moon passing very close to the center of Earth's umbral shadow.

   2. relating to or being the dark central portion of a sunspot: Compare penumbral 1b.

      Umbral flashes—powerful brightenings that shock the darkest part of the sunspot—appear continuously every 2 to 3 minutes.

Word History and Origins

Origin of umbral¹

umbra ( def ) + -al ¹( def )

Example Sentences

The worlds are layered on top of each other, as paths or barriers that exist in Axiom may disappear or appear in Umbral.

From Washington Times

Using an Umbral Lamp, a player warps between Axiom, the land of the living, and Umbral, the domain of the dead.

From Washington Times

However, combat in the Umbral offers more weapons to use such as the Umbral Lamp to “soulflay” enemies, which rips the soul out of the foe like a dementor in Harry Potter.

From Washington Times

Lords of the Fallen also has a “second chance” system, where if the character dies, they emerge again in the Umbral, with about half health left.

From Washington Times

La compañía no ha informado al centro nacional de los cientos de miles de cuentas que ha suspendido porque las normas exigen que “tengan un alto grado de confianza en que la persona está transmitiendo a sabiendas” las imágenes ilegales y esas cuentas no cumplían ese umbral, dijo Irwin.

From New York Times

Related Words

• dark
• ghostly
• shady