plumb

Meaning

Noun

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

Adj

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

Adv

1. (not-comparable) In a vertical direction; perpendicularly.
2. (informal, not-comparable) Squarely, directly; deeply, completely.

Verb

1. To determine the depth, generally of a liquid; to sound.
2. To attach to a water supply and drain.
3. (figuratively, transitive) To think about or explore in depth, to get to the bottom 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. To position vertically above or below.

Synonyms

plummet

vertical

sheer

plumb bob

plum

fathom

sound

🔉

precisely

exactly

bob

lead

perpendicular

sinker

level

plumb line

clean

sounding lead

fully

hang over

in full

just

maximally

normal

pencil

📝

perfectly

perpendicularly

plop

probe

quite

roaring

sag

shot

slack

sounding line

soundly

sound out

square

stark

starkly

straight

straightforward

⬆️

sublimely

survey

totally

unconditionally

utterly

vertically

very

well

wholly

Translations

Lot

plomada

loodrecht

Senkblei

sondare

🔉

sonder

scandagliare

🔉

piombino

🦭

peilen

prune

loten

🔉

peilen

lotrecht

plomber

prunier

Pronounced as (IPA)

/plʌm/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: plumbe

In summary

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