Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

umbo

/ˈʌm.boʊ/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.55 in modern English

Syllables: um-bo
IPA: /ˈʌm.boʊ/

8

Scrabble Score

4

Letters

2

Syllables

4

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

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

noun

A boss, or rounded elevation, or a corresponding depression, in a palate, disk, or membrane.

noun

A boss, or rounded elevation, or a corresponding depression, in a palate, disk, or membrane.

noun

A boss, or rounded elevation, or a corresponding depression, in a palate, disk, or membrane.

Example Sentences

"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."
"serves as the umbo of the region’s so-called Silicon Shield"

Etymology

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

Origin

Source language: Latin

Word Breakdown

Root: *h₃nebʰ-, umbō

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈʌm.boʊ/
British English: /ˈʌm.bəʊ/

Inflected Forms

umbones (plural) umbos (plural) umboes (plural)

Derived Forms

umbonal umbonic

Frequently Paired Words

boss

Rhymes With

jumbo colombo dumbo gumbo mumbo jumbo trumbo bumbo rumbo

Questions

How do you pronounce umbo?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈʌm.boʊ/.
What does umbo mean?: The boss of a shield, at or near the middle and usually projecting, sometimes in a sharp spike.
Where does umbo come from?: It is traced to Latin.

How to pronounce umbo

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “umbo”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈʌm.boʊ/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “umbo”.
Repeat and practice — Say “umbo” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.