the.com/umbrella stand
furniture's most loyal servant, employed two weeks a year and forgotten the rest
means A tall, narrow container, usually placed near a doorway, designed to hold wet umbrellas and walking sticks upright so they drip and dry without making a mess.
from A transparent compound of two English words. 'Umbrella' arrived in the 17th century from Italian 'ombrello', itself from Latin 'umbella', a 'little shade' — the diminutive of 'umbra', meaning shadow. The irony is built into the word: it began life as a sunshade against Mediterranean glare, then sailed north and was promptly repurposed against rain. 'Stand' is plain Old English, related to the verb 'standan', to stand — here meaning a thing that holds something upright. So the phrase is, quite literally, 'a holder for the little shade.'
- ancient roots
- Victorians made them grand status symbols by the door
- murder weapon
- a Bulgarian dissident died from a poisoned umbrella in 1978
- design icon
- Sottsass made one a Memphis-movement masterpiece in 1981
- hidden purpose
- many secretly hold canes, golf clubs, and rolled posters
parasol stand at versailles — ornate gilt bronze stands in the hall of mirrors, 18th century french royal furniture