Umbo

//ˈʌm.bəʊ// noun

noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    The boss of a shield, at or near the middle and usually projecting, sometimes in a sharp spike. historical

    "It is thirteen inches diameter, made of wood covered with leather, and an iron plate decorated with nails and mouldings; the boss or umbo projects four inches."

  2. 2
    a slight rounded elevation where the malleus attaches to the eardrum wordnet
  3. 3
    A boss, or rounded elevation, or a corresponding depression, in a palate, disk, or membrane.; An inward projection of the tympanic membrane of the ear.
  4. 4
    A boss, or rounded elevation, or a corresponding depression, in a palate, disk, or membrane.; One of the lateral prominences just above the hinge of a bivalve shell.
  5. 5
    A boss, or rounded elevation, or a corresponding depression, in a palate, disk, or membrane.; A bump or protrusion on the cap of a mushroom or toadstool.

Synonyms

All synonyms
umbone

Example

More examples

"It is thirteen inches diameter, made of wood covered with leather, and an iron plate decorated with nails and mouldings; the boss or umbo projects four inches."

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin umbō (“a shield boss”). Doublet of umbone.

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.