plumb
/plʌm/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.92 in modern English
11
Scrabble Score
5
Letters
1
Syllables
5
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A little mass of lead, or the like, attached to a line, and used by builders, etc., to indicate a vertical direction.
noun
The perpendicular direction or position.
adj
Truly vertical, as indicated by a plumb line.
adj
Describing an LBW where the batsman is hit on the pads directly in front of their wicket and should be given out.
adv
In a vertical direction; perpendicularly.
Example Sentences
- "Customers turned away from rickety chairs, stands of drawers that refused to open, or had no handles, lop-sided wardrobes whose doors were out of plumb or whose mirrors were cracked."
- "Plumb down he drops."
- "It hit him plumb in the middle of his face."
- "Years ago the well plumb dried out, not a drop of water in there since."
- "'Are you sure of that, M. Hardman?' 'I'm plumb certain.'."
- "The kitchen sink is now plumbed in / up."
Etymology
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: plumbe, *plombe, plumba
Usage
Inflected Forms
plumbs (plural)
more plumb (comparative)
most plumb (superlative)
plumbs (present, singular)
plumbing (participle, present)
plumbed (participle, past)
plumbed (past)