C19: after Mrs Sarah Gamp, a nurse in Dickens' Martin Chuzzlewit, who carried a faded cotton umbrella
umbrella in British English
(ʌmˈbrɛlə)
noun
1.
a portable device used for protection against rain, snow, etc, and consisting of a light canopy supported on a collapsible metal frame mounted on a central rod
2.
the flattened cone-shaped contractile body of a jellyfish or other medusa
3.
a protective shield or screen, esp of aircraft or gunfire
4.
anything that has the effect of a protective screen or cover
5.
a.
any system or agency that provides centralized organization or general cover for a group of related companies, organizations, etc
b.
(as modifier)
an umbrella fund
an umbrella group
gamp in American English
(gæmp)
noun
British
a large umbrella, esp. one that is bulky or awkwardly wrapped
Word origin
in allusion to the umbrella of Mrs. Gamp in Dickens' Martin Chuzzlewit