parasol

noun

par·​a·​sol ˈper-ə-ˌsȯl 

-ˌsäl, 

ˈpa-rə-

: a lightweight umbrella used as a sunshade

Examples of parasol in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Chef Davide Bisetto and pastry chef Tim Ricci’s restaurant is set inside a grand palazzo, complete with mint-green parasols shading a garden oasis. —Jenn Rice, Travel + Leisure, 23 Dec. 2025

By the time the plant is a few years old, there is a solid braid of woody trunk supporting a distinctive canopy of compound, five-leaflet, parasol leaves. —Joshua Siskin, Oc Register, 19 Dec. 2025

In another scene, the French sculptor’s reclining figure of La Jeune Fille Allongée became a sculptural beachgoer with the addition of a pristine cotton parasol. —Joelle Diderich, Footwear News, 27 Oct. 2025

Hoop skirts and parasols, mint juleps and columned mansions. —Matthew Carey, Deadline, 21 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French, "screen or canopy shielding from the sun," going back to Middle French, borrowed from Italian parasole, from para "(it) shields, keeps out" (3rd singular present of parare "to prepare, adorn, avert, shield") + sole "sun," going back to Latin sōl — more at parry, solar

First Known Use

1660, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

parasol

noun

para·​sol

ˈpar-ə-ˌsȯl

: a light umbrella for protection against the sun