Chapter UJUNGTANAH to UMBRELLA of U by The Hobson Jobson Dictionary

tout ceus … ont par commandement que toutes fois que il chevauchent doivent avoir sus le chief un palieque que on dit ombrel, que on porte sur une lance en senefiance de grant seigneurie.”— Marco Polo, Text of Pauthier, i. 256–7.

c. 1332.—(At Constantinople) “the inhabitants, military men or others, great and small, winter and summer, carry over their heads huge umbrellas (ma hallat).”—Ibn Batuta, ii. 440.

c. 1335.—“Whenever the Sultan (of Delhi) mounts his horse, they carry an umbrella over his head. But when he starts on a march to war, or on a long journey, you see carried over his head seven umbrellas, two of which are covered with jewels of inestimable value.”—Shihabuddin Dimishki, in Not. et Exts. xiii. 190.

1404.—“And over her head they bore a shade (sombra) carried by a man, on a shaft like that of a lance; and it was of white silk, made like the roof of a round tent, and stretched by a hoop of wood, and this shade they carry over the head to protect them from the sun.”—Clacijo, § cxxii.

1541.—“Then next to them marches twelve men on horseback, called Peretandas, each of them carrying an Umbrello of carnation Sattin, and other twelve that follow with banners of white damask.”— Pinto, in Cogan’s E.T., p. 135.

In the original this runs:

“Vão doze homes a cavallo, que se chamão peretandas, cõ sombreyros de citim cramesim nas mãos a modo de esparavels postos em cesteas muyto compridas (like tents upon very long staves) et outros doze cõ bãndeyras de damasco branco.”

[c. 1590.—“The Ensigns of Royalty. … 2. The Chatr, or umbrella, is adorned with the most precious jewels, of which there are never less than seven. 3. The Sáibán is of an oval form, a yard in length, and its handle, like that of the umbrella, is covered with brocade, and ornamented with precious stones. One of the attendants holds it, to keep off the rays of the sun. It is also called Áftábgír.”—Ain, i. 50.]

1617.—“An Umbrell, a fashion of round and broade fanne, wherewith the Indians, and from them our great ones preserue themselves from the heate of the scorching sunne. G. Ombraire, m. Ombrelle, f. I. Ombrella. L. Vmbella, ab umbra, the shadow, est enim instrumentum quo solem à facie arcent [Greek Text] ¶ Iuven. Gr. skiadion diminut. a [Greek Text] skia i. vmbra. T. Schabhut, q. schathut, à schatten, i. vmbra, et hut, i. pileus, à quo, et B. Schinhocdt. Br. Teggidel, á teg. i. pulchrum forma, et gidd, pro riddio, i. protegere; haec enim vmbellae finis.”—Minsheu (1st ed. s.v.).

1644.—“Here (at Marseilles) we bought umbrellas against the heats.”—Evelyn’s Diary, 7th Oct.

1677.—(In this passage the word is applied to an awning before a shop. “The Streets are generally narrow … the better to receive the advantages of Umbrello’s extended from side to side to keep the sun’s violence from their customers.”—Fryer, 222.

1681.—“After these comes an Elephant with two Priests on his back; one whereof is the Priest before spoken of, carrying the painted Stick on his shoulder. … The other sits behind him, holding a round thing like an Umbrello over his head, to keep off Sun or Rain.”—Knox’s Ceylon, 79.

1709.—“… The Young Gentleman belonging to the Custom-house that for fear of rain borrowed the Umbrella at Will’s Coffee-house in Cornhill of the Mistress, is hereby advertised that to be dry from head to foot in the like occasion he shall be welcome to the Maid’s pattens.”—The Female Tatler, Dec. 12, quoted in Malcolm’s Anecdotes, 1808, p. 429.

1712.

“The tuck’d up semstress walks with hasty strides
While streams run down her oil’d umbrella’s sides.”

Swift, A City Shower.

1715.

“Good housewives all the winter’s rage despise,
Defended by the riding hood’s disguise;
Or underneath the Umbrella’s oily shade
Safe through the wet on clinking pattens tread.
“Let Persian dames the Umbrella’s ribs display
To guard their beauties from the sunny ray;
Or sweating slaves support the shady load
When Eastern monarchs show their state abroad;
Britain in winter only knows its aid
To guard from chilly showers the walking maid.”

Gay, Trivia, i.

1850.—Advertisement posted at the door of one of the Sections of the British Association meeting at Edinburgh.

“The gentleman, who carried away a brown silk umbrella from the — Section yesterday, may