bumbershoot - a podcast by Merriam-Webster

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 25, 2021 is: bumbershoot \BUM-ber-shoot\ noun
: [umbrella](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/umbrella#h1)

Examples:

"Actually, it may be time to dig out the underused bumbershoot from the back of your closet.… According to Bagnall, these balmy days may be over for a while as three coming storms line up to bring cooler and wetter conditions…." — [Steven Mayer, The Bakersfield Californian, 22 Jan. 2021](https://www.bakersfield.com/news/after-warm-dry-start-to-winter-its-going-to-get-wetter-and-colder-and-thats/articleb2bbb6ac-5c53-11eb-990d-5f1e9fca54f9.html)

"Someday, umbrellas may do more than just keep people dry. A researcher in the Netherlands has designed a simple sensor that 'listens' to rain. And that sensor can turn a bumbershoot into a rain-measuring whiz." — [Cameron Walker, Science News for Students, 3 June 2014](https://www.sciencenewsforstudents.org/article/umbrella-listens-rain-science)

Did you know?

Umbrellas have plenty of nicknames. In Britain, [brolly](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/brolly) is a popular alternative to the more staid [umbrella](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/umbrella#h1). Sarah Gamp, a fictional nurse who toted a particularly large umbrella in Charles Dickens's novel Martin Chuzzlewit, has inspired some English speakers to dub oversize versions [gamps](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gamp). Bumbershoot is a predominantly American nickname, one that has been recorded as a whimsical, slightly irreverent handle for umbrellas since the late 1800s. As with most slang terms, the origins of bumbershoot are a bit foggy, but it appears that the bumber is a modification of the umbr- in umbrella and the shoot is an alteration of the -chute in [parachute](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/parachute) (since an open parachute looks a little like an umbrella).

Further episodes of Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day

Further podcasts by Merriam-Webster

Website of Merriam-Webster