I think it needs to meet the following criteria to be considered an umbrella:
1) Does it keep you dry?
2) Can it be carried by one person?
3) When not in use, can it be used as a walking stick to make you feel dandy?
By these criteria, parasols are not umbrellas (1) and the big umbrelles that go in the middle of picnic tables are, somehow, not umbrellas. In addition, datschunds, thong underpants, and the Gettysburg address are all NOT umbrellas.
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