English Explanatory Dictionary

umbra versa

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. On a shadow in the shape of a right triangle, the length of the shadow's edge opposite to a measured angle.

Pronunciation

ŭmʹbrə vûrʹsə /ˈʌmbɹə ˈvɜːsə/

Word forms

umbra versa

Etymology

First attested in Modern English in 1688, although the phrase was also used in Middle English by Geoffrey Chaucer (c. 1343–1400) in his Treatise on the Astrolabe; Latin: umbra (“shadow”) + versa (feminine nominative singular of versus, “turned”) = “turned shadow”; compare umbra recta.

Synonyms

umbra stans
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