plumb

¹

[ pluhm ]

noun

1. a small mass of lead or other heavy material, as that suspended by a line and used to measure the depth of water or to ascertain a vertical line. Compare plumb line.

adjective

1. true according to a plumb line perpendicular.

   Synonyms: square, straight, vertical

2. Informal. downright or absolute.

adverb

1. in a perpendicular or vertical direction.
2. exactly, precisely, or directly.
3. Informal. completely or absolutely:

   She was plumb mad. You're plumb right.

verb (used with object)

1. to test or adjust by a plumb line.
2. to make vertical.
3. Shipbuilding. horn ( def 32 ).
4. to sound with or as with a plumb line.
5. to measure (depth) by sounding.
6. to examine closely in order to discover or understand:

   to plumb someone's thoughts.

7. to seal with lead.
8. to weight with lead.
9. to provide (a house, building, apartment, etc.) with plumbing.

verb (used without object)

1. to work as a plumber.

Plumb

²

[ pluhm ]

noun

1. J(ohn) H(arold), 1911–2001, British historian.

plumb

/ plʌm /

noun

1. a weight, usually of lead, suspended at the end of a line and used to determine water depth or verticality
2. the perpendicular position of a freely suspended plumb line (esp in the phrases out of plumb, off plumb )

adjective

1. informal.
   prenominal (intensifier)

   a plumb nuisance

adverb

1. in a vertical or perpendicular line
2. informal.
   (intensifier)

   plumb stupid

3. informal.
   exactly; precisely (also in the phrase plumb on )

verb

1. troften foll byup to test the alignment of or adjust to the vertical with a plumb line
2. tr to undergo or experience (the worst extremes of misery, sadness, etc)

   to plumb the depths of despair

3. tr to understand or master (something obscure)

   to plumb a mystery

4. to connect or join (a device such as a tap) to a water pipe or drainage system

Derived Forms

• ˈplumbable, adjective

Other Words From

• plumba·ble adjective
• plumbless adjective
• plumbness noun
• re·plumb verb (used with object)
• un·plumb adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of plumb¹

1250–1300; Middle English plumbe, probably < Anglo-French *plombe < Vulgar Latin *plumba, for Latin plumbum lead

Word History and Origins

Origin of plumb¹

C13: from Old French plomb (unattested) lead line, from Old French plon lead, from Latin plumbum lead

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. out of / off plumb, not corresponding to the perpendicular; out of true.

Example Sentences

He has no redeeming or (even complicating) qualities—no depths to plumb, no angles to survey, no gray areas to explore.

From The Daily Beast

Nearly 65 years after the fact, it's amazing how much of what we think we know about Britain's "finest" hour is just plumb wrong.

From The Daily Beast

In the “just plumb crazy” class, I put the business of his chaining his mug to the radiator to prevent its being stolen.

From The Daily Beast

She believes her illness has bestowed on her a single-mindedness that causes her to plumb the same waters again and again.

From The Daily Beast

Her companions stuck to the side of the road, but Suu Kyi walked into the middle, plumb in the line of fire.

From The Daily Beast

Then, grandpaw, he turns round to the baby again, plumb took up with them four new nippers.

From Project Gutenberg

He put his hand to his belt, screwed up his mug, and said he felt plumb et up inside.

From Project Gutenberg

I just sit there, knocked plumb silly, almost, and looked at a big rose in the carpet.

From Project Gutenberg

An' I'm here t' declare that it's plumb foolish t' mix things with that layout till we can see t' shoot tolerable straight.

From Project Gutenberg

On either side of this isolated bar of sandstone a plumb-line might have been dropped straight to the level of the river.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• delve
• explore
• fathom
• penetrate
• unravel