I. ˈpləm noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English plom, plum, plumbe, from (assumed) Old French plomb lead, plummet (whence Middle French plomb ), from Old French plon lead, from Latin plumbum, of non-Indo-European origin; akin to the source of Greek molybos lead, Basque berun
1. : a little mass or weight of lead or other heavy material (as brass) attached to a line and used to indicate a vertical direction : plummet , plumb bob
2.
a. : a lead or other weight: as
(1) : a mariner's sounding lead
(2) : a fishline sinker
(3) : a sinker used to sound a stream or lake
(4) : a clock weight
b. : a missile of lead
•
- out of plumb
II. adverb
also plum “
Etymology: Middle English plum, from plom, plum, plumbe, n.
1. : straight down or occasionally up : vertically
2. : directly , exactly ; also : immediately
3. chiefly dialect : completely , absolutely , utterly
III. verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Middle English plomen, from plom, plum, plumbe, n.
transitive verb
1. : to weight with lead
2.
a. : to sound with a plumb ; also : to measure the depth of (as water) by sounding
b. : to ascertain a quality (as depth, dimension, propriety) of : examine minutely and critically
plumb one's motives
there were depths … beneath the story that he had never plumbed — Van Wyck Brooks
c. : to reach the nadir of
plumbing that abyss of misery
3.
a. : to adjust or test by a plumb line : cause to be perpendicular
plumb a wall
b. : to be or make perpendicular to
4. : to seal with or as if with lead
plumb a joint
luggage plumbed by the customs inspector
5.
[back-formation from plumber ]
a. : to supply with a system of plumbing
plumb a new house
b. : to work upon (something) as a plumber : install as part of a system of plumbing
had a friend plumb his sink
intransitive verb
1. : to hang or fall vertically : be perpendicular
the chimney plumbs perfectly
2.
[back-formation from plumber ]
: to work as a plumber : do plumbing
IV. adjective
also plum “
Etymology: Middle English plom, from plom, plum, plumbe, n.
1.
a. : conforming to the direction of a line attached to a plumb
the wall is plumb
b. : perfectly true : level and smooth — used of a cricket wicket
2. : downright , complete , absolute
Synonyms: see vertical
V.
dialect
variant of plump
VI.
dialect chiefly England
variant of plum II