umbrella: Meaning and Definition of

um•brel•la

1. a light, small, portable, usually circular cover for protection from rain or sun, consisting of a fabric held on a collapsible frame of thin ribs radiating from the top of a carrying stick or handle.
2. the saucer- or bowl-shaped, gelatinous body of a jellyfish; bell.
3. something that covers or protects from above, as military aircraft safeguarding surface forces: an air umbrella.
4. any general kind of protection: a price umbrella.
5. something, as an organization or policy, that covers or encompasses a number of groups or elements.

1. shaped like or intended to perform the function of an umbrella.
2. having the quality or function of covering or applying simultaneously to a number of similar items, elements, or groups: an umbrella organization; umbrella coverage in an insurance policy.