plumbeous

American  

[pluhm-bee-uhs] / ˈplʌm bi əs /

adjective

1. resembling or containing lead; leaden.

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plumbeous British  

/ ˈplʌmbɪəs /

adjective

1. made of or relating to lead or resembling lead in colour

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Etymology

Origin of plumbeous

First recorded in 1580–90; from Latin plumbeus, equivalent to plumb(um) “lead” + -eus -eous

Explanation

If something is plumbeous, it either contains lead or has lead-like qualities, such as being heavy or dark gray in color. Plumbeous is an adjective that can be used both literally and figuratively. For instance, large storm clouds with a deep gray hue and a heavy appearance might be described as plumbeous, reflecting their similarity to lead despite not being made of it. To use it literally, you could say, "The plumber replaced the old, plumbeous pipes to modernize the system," to describe pipes that are actually made of or contain lead.

Example Sentences

I spotted a brown chestnut-winged cinclodes with a little pointy beak, and a slate-blue plumbeous sierra finch with pink legs.

From New York Times • Apr. 26, 2023

There’s also the plumbeous seedeater, Sporophila plumbea, or “mountain canary,” which is cheaper and as a result, more available, according to a December 2018 bird trafficking report by Traffic, a wildlife trade monitoring network.

From Washington Times • Apr. 23, 2023

The researchers counted and recorded plumbeous vireos and grey vireos living near natural gas wells with noisy compressors.

From US News • May 31, 2011

Whereas plumbeous vireo songs got shorter with increased background noise, grey vireo songs grew longer.

From US News • May 31, 2011

It is plumbeous, with a fulvous belly and white tail coverts.

From Through the Brazilian Wilderness by Roosevelt, Theodore