(1) A darkish brown mineral containing manganese and iron oxides used for coloring paint. (2) A color that is greenish brown to dark reddish brown.

The mineral deposits of Italy provided sources of a number of natural pigments, among them umber. Since the late Renaissance, umber has been in great demand as a coloring agent. When crushed and mixed with paint, it produces an olive color known as *raw umber*; when crushed and burnt, it produces a darker tone known as *burnt umber.*

(1) To give a sketchy outline or disclose in part. (2) To hint at or foretell.

A synonym for *adumbrate* is *foreshadow,* which means to present a shadowy version of something before it becomes reality or is provided in full. Tough questioning by a Supreme Court justice may adumbrate the way he or she is planning to rule on a case. A bad review by a critic may adumbrate the failure of a new film. And rats scurrying off a ship were believed to adumbrate a coming disaster at sea.

(1) The partial shadow surrounding a complete shadow, as in an eclipse. (2) The fringe or surrounding area where something exists less fully.

Every solar eclipse casts an *umbra,* the darker central area in which almost no light reaches the earth, and a penumbra, the area of partial shadow where part of the sun is still visible. *Penumbra* can thus be used to describe any “gray area” where things aren't all black and white. For example, the right to privacy falls under the penumbra of the U.S. Constitution; though it isn't specifically guaranteed there, the Supreme Court has held that it is implied, and thus that the government may not intrude into certain areas of a citizen's private life. Because its existence is still shadowy, however, the Court is still determining how much of an individual's life is protected by the right to privacy.

A feeling of resentment at some slight or insult, often one that is imagined rather than real.

An umbrage was originally a shadow, and soon the word also began to mean “a shadowy suspicion.” Then it came to mean “displeasure” as well—that is, a kind of shadow blocking the sunlight. *Umbrage* is now generally used in the phrase “take umbrage at.” An overly sensitive person may take umbrage at something as small as having his or her name pronounced wrong.

(1) To get rid of or free oneself of property, authority, or title. (2) To strip of clothing, ornaments, or equipment.

If you decide to enter a monastery, you may divest yourself of most of your possessions. When a church is officially abandoned, it's usually divested of its ornaments and furnishings. A company that's going through hard times may divest itself of several stores, and investors are constantly divesting themselves of stocks that aren't performing well enough. And when it turns out that athletes have been using steroids, they're usually divested of any awards they may have won.

The formal placing of someone in office.

In its original meaning, an *investiture* was the clothing of a new officeholder in garments that symbolized power. The Middle Ages saw much debate over the investiture of bishops by kings and emperors. These rulers felt that high religious offices were theirs to give as rewards for someone's loyal service or as bribes for someone's future support; the popes, on the other hand, regarded these investitures as the improper buying and selling of church offices. The investiture struggle caused tension between popes and monarchs and even led to wars.

A person, especially a male, who wears the clothing and adopts the mannerisms of the opposite sex.

*Transvestite* includes the prefix *trans-,* “across,” and thus means literally “cross-dresser.” In the theater, from ancient Greece to Elizabethan England, *transvestism* was common because all parts—even Juliet—were played by men. Traditional Japanese Kabuki and Noh drama still employ transvestism of this sort. In everyday life, it's now so acceptable for women to wear men's clothing that the word *transvestite* is generally applied only to men. The much newer word *transgender* describes people who think of themselves as having changed sex, or who simply don't believe in the idea that they're either one sex or the other.

(1) An inferior or distorted imitation. (2) A broadly comic imitation in drama, literature, or art that is usually grotesque and ridiculous.

The word *travesty* comes from the same prefix and root as *transvestite.* Since cross-dressing often isn't very convincing, the word has usually referred to something absurd. So a verdict that angers people may be denounced as a “travesty of justice.” *Saturday Night Live* specializes in dramatic travesties mocking everything from political figures and issues to popular culture —“disguised” versions intended for entertainment. *Travesty* may also be a verb; thus, Mel Brooks has travestied movie genres of all kinds—westerns, thrillers, and silent films, among others.