umbel

[ uhm-buhl ]

noun

, Botany.

1. an inflorescence in which a number of flower stalks or pedicels, nearly equal in length, spread from a common center.

umbel

/ ʌmˈbɛlə; -ˌleɪt; ˈʌmbɪlɪt; ˈʌmbəl /

noun

1. an inflorescence, characteristic of umbelliferous plants, in which the flowers arise from the same point in the main stem and have stalks of the same length, to give a cluster with the youngest flowers at the centre

umbel

/ ŭm′bəl /

1. A flat or rounded indeterminate inflorescence in which the individual flower stalks (called pedicels) arise from about the same point on the stem at the tip of the peduncle. The geranium, milkweed, and onion have umbels. Umbels usually show centripetal inflorescence, with the lower or outer flowers blooming first.

Derived Forms

• umbellate, adjective
• ˈumbellately, adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of umbel¹

1590–1600; < Latin umbella a sunshade, parasol, derivative of umbra shadow, shade; for formation castellum

Word History and Origins

Origin of umbel¹

C16: from Latin umbella a sunshade, from umbra shade

Example Sentences

The lawsuit says the ruling failed to accurately predict how groundwater pumping would affect the endangered southwestern willow flycatcher and Huachuca water umbel, and the threatened western yellow-billed cuckoo and northern Mexican gartersnake.

From Washington Times

The line divides Ernest Umbel’s 200-acre farm just south of Markleysburg, neatly dividing the farm into 100-acre parcels - half in Garret County, Md., and half in Henry Clay Township, Fayette County.

From Washington Times

Growing up, the 67-year-old Umbel said he lived in a farmhouse built on the Pennsylvania side of the border, so he traveled some 21 miles along Route 40 and down Laurel Summit into Uniontown to go to high school.

From Washington Times

That sign is close to but not really at the border, said Umbel, a retired Garrett County industrial arts teacher.

From Washington Times

A marker for the Mason-Dixon line can be found on the Umbel property his grandfather acquired at least a century ago.

From Washington Times