plumb bob

American  

noun

1. plummet.

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plumb bob British  

noun

1. the weight, usually of lead, at the end of a plumb line; plummet

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Etymology

Origin of plumb bob

First recorded in 1825–35

Example Sentences

Now, you can use a plumb bob or level to project down to the ground exactly where your support posts will be.

From Seattle Times • Jul. 3, 2023

As it swings, the shiny plumb bob reflects onto the water the orange and yellow sunset in a nearby photograph, which is pegged to an armature connected to a rotating fan.

From Washington Post • Apr. 14, 2023

But the installation titled “Diver” features a stainless-steel plumb bob swinging elliptically over the level surface of a container of water that sits on the Guggenheim’s sloping ramp.

From Washington Post • Apr. 14, 2023

Don’t stare and plumb bob forever, but don’t hurry, either; wait that extra half-second until that projected putt becomes, somehow, real in the mind.

From Golf Digest • May 7, 2020

When the instrument was level atop these rings, the plumb bob was theoretically over the center line of the cannon.

From Artillery Through the Ages A Short Illustrated History of Cannon, Emphasizing Types Used in America by Manucy, Albert