PLUMB
What does "PLUMB" mean?
A weight on a line used to test verticality, or the act of measuring depth or truth.
Meanings
- A lead weight hung from a cord to find true vertical or to sound depth. The mason dropped a plumb to check the wall was straight.
- Exactly vertical or true. Make sure the post is plumb before you set it.
- Exactly, directly; or, informally, completely. The arrow landed plumb in the centre. informal
- To explore or understand something fully and deeply. Scientists are still plumbing the depths of the trench. figurative
Did you know?
- A plumb line, a plumber, and the chemical symbol Pb for lead all trace to one Latin word, 'plumbum' - because each began with the soft heavy metal that pulls a string straight down.
Word origin
From Latin 'plumbum', meaning lead - the metal the weight was made of; the same root gives 'plumber' (originally a worker in lead) and the element symbol Pb.
Remember it
PLUMB hides the silent B of 'plumber' and 'bomb' - both heavy with lead; 'plumbum' is Latin for lead.
A little poem
A lead weight, hung, asks only one mute thing:
which way is down? And gravity replies
the single honest answer it can bring.
tercet
Wordplay
- Why trust a plumb line? It always tells you the truth, straight down.
What it teaches
To find what is true, hang a weight and let it settle; honesty, like gravity, only ever points one way.
Quick facts
What does PLUMB mean?
A weight on a line used to test verticality, or the act of measuring depth or truth.
Is PLUMB a valid word?
Yes — PLUMB is one of the answer words in Wordul, the daily word game.
How many letters is PLUMB?
PLUMB has 5 letters and 1 syllable.
Where does PLUMB come from?
From Latin 'plumbum', meaning lead - the metal the weight was made of; the same root gives 'plumber' (originally a worker in lead) and the element symbol Pb.
What can PLUMB teach us?
To find what is true, hang a weight and let it settle; honesty, like gravity, only ever points one way.
How players do
Be the first to solve it.