answersLogoWhite

0

It comes from both "Umbria" (the region) and the female-denoting suffix "-ella". Parasols were at a time very fashionable in Umbria with the middle and upper classes due to the protection they afforded from the sun. (Used to retain the whiteness of the skin)

But when umbrellas became popular, at first they were compared to the parasols of Umbian women, thus Umbria was conflated with ella to form what we now spell umbrella.

User Avatar

Wiki User

15y ago

What else can I help you with?