plumb

See also: Plumb and plumb-

English

Pronunciation

• enPR: plŭm, IPA^(key): /plʌm/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ʌm
• Homophone: plum

Etymology 1

From Old French *plombe, from Latin plumba, plural of plumbum.

Adjective

plumb (comparative more plumb, superlative most plumb)

1. Truly vertical, as indicated by a plumb line.
2. (cricket) Describing an LBW where the batsman is hit on the pads directly in front of his wicket and should be given out.

Synonyms

• (truly vertical): perpendicular

Translations

truly vertical

• Dutch: loodrecht (nl), in het lood
• Finnish: kohtisuora (fi)

• Swedish: lodrät (sv)

Adverb

plumb (not comparable)

1. In a vertical direction; perpendicularly.
   • Milton

     Plumb down he drops.

2. (informal) Squarely, directly; completely.

   It hit him plumb in the middle of his face.

   Years ago the well plumb dried out, not a drop of water in there since.

Translations

in a vertical direction

• Dutch: loodrecht (nl), in het lood

• Finnish: kohtisuoraan, kohtisuorasti, kohtisuorassa

squarely, completely

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 正 (zh) (zhèng)

• Finnish: suoraan (fi) (squarely); täysin (fi), kokonaan (fi) (completely)

Noun

plumb (plural plumbs)

1. A little mass of lead, or the like, attached to a line, and used by builders, etc., to indicate a vertical direction.
2. (nautical) A weight on the end of a long line, used by sailors to determine the depth of water.

Synonyms

• (construction): plummet, plumb bob (UK), plumb line (US)

Derived terms

Derived terms

• off plumb
• out of plumb
• plumb bob

• plumb line
• plumb rule

Translations

mass attached to a line to indicate vertical direction

• Finnish: luoti (fi)

nautical: mass attached to a line to indicate depth

• Finnish: luoti (fi)

Verb

plumb (third-person singular simple present plumbs, present participle plumbing, simple past and past participle plumbed)

1. To determine the depth, generally of a liquid; to sound.
2. To attach to a water supply and drain.
3. To think about or explore in depth, to get to the bottom of, especially to plumb the depths of.
4. To use a plumb bob as a measuring or aligning tool.
5. To accurately align vertically or horizontally.
6. (dated) To seal something with lead.
7. (intransitive) To work as a plumber.
8. (rare) To fall or sink like a plummet.
9. (US, colloquial, figuratively, obsolete) To trace a road or track; to follow it to its end.
10. (nautical) To position vertically above or below.

Translations

to determine the depth

• Finnish: luodata (fi)

• Italian: appiombare

to attach to water supply or drain

• Finnish: liittää vesijohtoon (fi), liittää viemäriin (fi)

to explore in depth

• Finnish: syväluodata

to use plumb bob

• Finnish: luodata (fi)

to accurately align

• Finnish: rihdata

to seal with lead

• Finnish: juottaa lyijyllä (fi)

to work as plumber

• Finnish: olla putkimiehenä (fi)

to fall or sink like a plummet

• Finnish: pudota kuin kivi (fi), upota kuin kivi (fi)

to trace a road or track

• Finnish: seurata (fi)

nautical: to position vertically above or below

Etymology 2

Noun

plumb (plural plumbs)

1. Obsolete form of plum.
   • 1767, Select Essays on Husbandry

     Without attending to sub-divisions, all the pears are of one species, as well as all the apples, plumbs, peaches, cherries, lemons, citrons, oranges […]

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Albanian

Alternative forms

• (Gheg) plum

Etymology

From Latin plumbum (“lead”).

Noun

plumb m

1. lead (metal)
2. bullet

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Romanian

Chemical element
Pb	Previous: taliu (Tl)
	Next: bismut (Bi)

Etymology

From Latin plumbum (“lead”).

Noun

plumb n (uncountable)

1. lead (metal)

   Plumbul este otrăvitor pentru oameni.

   Lead is poisonous to humans.

2. lead (chemical element)

Declension

declension of plumb (singular only)

	singular
n gender	indefinite articulation	definite articulation
nominative/accusative	(un) plumb	plumbul
genitive/dative	(unui) plumb	plumbului
vocative	plumbule

Derived terms

• plumburiu
• plumbui
• plumbos

Related terms

• plumbar

Noun

plumb m (plural plumbi)

1. bullet, projectile

Declension

declension of plumb

	singular		plural
	indefinite articulation	definite articulation	indefinite articulation	definite articulation
nominative/accusative	(un) plumb	plumbul	(niște) plumbi	plumbii
genitive/dative	(unui) plumb	plumbului	(unor) plumbi	plumbilor
vocative	plumbule		plumbilor

Synonyms

• glonț

Noun

plumb n (plural plumburi)

1. (dated, chiefly Moldavia) pencil

Declension

declension of plumb

	singular		plural
	indefinite articulation	definite articulation	indefinite articulation	definite articulation
nominative/accusative	(un) plumb	plumbul	(niște) plumburi	plumburile
genitive/dative	(unui) plumb	plumbului	(unor) plumburi	plumburilor
vocative	plumbule		plumburilor

Synonyms

• creion