Word
penumbra
Phoneticspenum·bra
US/pɪˈnəmbɹə/
UK/pˈɛnʌmbɹɐ/
Definition
n. the lighter outer part of a shadow where only some of the light is blocked. You also use it to describe a secondary area or a group of things related to a central topic.
n. the partially shaded outer region of a shadow cast by an opaque object; a peripheral or marginal area where something exists to a lesser degree. Countable.
Examples
“The moon moves into the penumbra during the early stages of the eclipse.”
“We could barely see the outlines of the trees standing in the penumbra of the streetlamp.”
“The legal ruling affects not only the direct participants but also an entire penumbra of related industries that rely on current intellectual property definitions for their operations.”
Examples
simple
“The moon moves into the penumbra during the early stages of the eclipse.”
contextual
“We could barely see the outlines of the trees standing in the penumbra of the streetlamp.”
complex
“The legal ruling affects not only the direct participants but also an entire penumbra of related industries that rely on current intellectual property definitions for their operations.”
Real-World Examples
“The first phase of the eclipse begins at 02:23 BST when the Moon enters the lighter outer part of Earth's shadow, known as the penumbra.” Etymology
From New Latin pēnumbra, from Latin paene (“almost”) + umbra (“shadow”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Domains
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/penumbra