plumb

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See also: Plumb and plumb-

English

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English Wikipedia has an article on:
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Pronunciation

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Etymology 1

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From Middle English plumbe, plumme, from Old French *plombe, from Latin plumba, plural of plumbum.

Noun

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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.
  3. The perpendicular direction or position.
Synonyms
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Derived terms
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Derived terms
Translations
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Adjective

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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 their wicket and should be given out.
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Adverb

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plumb (not comparable)

  1. In a vertical direction; perpendicularly.
    • 1667, John Milton, “(please specify the page number)”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC:
      Plumb down he drops.
  2. (informal) Squarely, directly; deeply, 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.
    • 1934, Agatha Christie, chapter 9, in Murder on the Orient Express, London: HarperCollins, published 2017, page 143:
      'Are you sure of that, M. Hardman?' 'I'm plumb certain.'.
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Verb

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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. (transitive, figurative) To think about or explore in depth, to get to the bottom of, especially to plumb the depths of.
    • 2011, Catherine Lanigan, The Texan:
      Delving to the core of her heart, his blue-green eyes plumbed her psyche, stripping it of all defenses, all resolve.
    • 2021 May 29, David Hytner, “Chelsea win Champions League after Kai Havertz stuns Manchester City”, in The Guardian‎[1]:
      The pressure had been on City, on Guardiola, to deliver the trophy that Sheikh Mansour has craved since his takeover in 2008 but it was an occasion when the manager found a new way to lose, to plumb fresh depths of frustration.
  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
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Etymology 2

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Noun

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plumb (plural plumbs)

  1. Obsolete form of plum (“the fruit”).
    • 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 […]

Albanian

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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Borrowed through Vulgar Latin from Latin plumbum (“lead”).[2]

Noun

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plumb m (definite plumbi)

  1. lead (metal)
  2. bullet

Declension

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Declension of plumb
singular
indefinite definite
nominative plumb plumbi
accusative plumbin
dat./abl. plumbi plumbit

References

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  1. ^ Fialuur i voghel Sccyp e ltinisct (Small Dictionary of Albanian and Latin), page 109, by P. Jak Junkut, 1895, Sckoder
  2. ^ Orel, Vladimir E. (1998) “plumb”, in Albanian Etymological Dictionary, Leiden, Boston, Köln: Brill, →ISBN, page 336

Romanian

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

Etymology

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Inherited from Latin plumbum (“lead”).

Noun

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plumb n (uncountable)

  1. lead (metal)
    Plumbul este otrăvitor pentru oameni.
    Lead is poisonous to humans.
  2. lead (chemical element)

Declension

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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

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Noun

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plumb m (plural plumbi)

  1. bullet, projectile

Declension

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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

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Noun

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plumb n (plural plumburi)

  1. (dated, chiefly Moldavia (region)) pencil
    Synonym: creion

Declension

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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
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