What does something being plumb mean?
1 : straight down or up : vertically. 2 chiefly dialectal : to a complete degree : absolutely ‘you’re plumb crazy’, she remarked, with easy candor — Harper’s Weekly.
Does plumb mean lead?
a small mass of lead or other heavy material, as that suspended by a line and used to measure the depth of water or to ascertain a vertical line. Compare plumb line.
What is an example of plumb?
The definition of a plumb is a lead weight at the end of a line which is used to measure how deep water is or to determine a vertical line. An example of a plumb is a weight which is attached to a length of heavy string.
What does plumb the line mean?
In carpentry, masonry, and architectural design, the plumb line is a definitive means of measuring a line that is perfectly straight up and down with gravity.
Who is a plumb person?
If you plumb something mysterious or difficult to understand, you succeed in understanding it. [literary] She never abandoned her attempts to plumb my innermost emotions. [ VERB noun]
How do I make sure something is plumb?
Something that is “plumb” runs perpendicular to the horizon—meaning that when it intersects the horizon, it makes a right (90 degree) angle. You can measure if something is plumb by using a plumb bob or a spirit or laser level.
Why is it called plumb?
A plumb line is a light line with a weight (plumb bob) at one end that, when suspended next to a workpiece, defines a vertical line. Plumb comes from the Latin plumbum, or “lead,” the material that replaced stone as…
Is it plumb or plum?
In summary, here are the most common uses of each: plum refers to a fruit and describes pleasant things; plump describes full, rounded forms; and plumb is a versatile word with verb meanings having to do with plumbing and deep examination and experience, adjective and adverb meanings having to do with verticality, and …
Where did the term plumber come from?
Ben Franklin is the leading firm of plumbers in Wichita and if you have ever thought the word “plumber” was a little strange, it actually derives from the Latin word “plumbum” which means liquid silver and refers to their lead pipes. Yes, the Romans had lead pipes.
Do plumbers plum?
The term plumb can be used as a verb to describe the activity of a plumber running water supply and drain pipes in a building, but the more important use of the term comes in the context of general construction or carpentry.
Where did plumb line come from?
Ancient Egyptians used a plumb line attached to the top outer part of a tool resembling a letter E; when placed against a wall, the plumb line would indicate a vertical line. An A-frame level with a plumb line hung from the vertex was also used to find horizontal; these were used in Europe until the mid–19th century.
What does plumb mean in construction?
perfectly straight
A vertical framing piece, such as a post or stud, is “plumb” when it’s perfectly straight, and when a horizontal member has no tilt, it is “level.” The tools that carpenters and homeowners use to determine plumb and level all rely in some way on gravity.
What is a plumb rule in construction?
plumb rule in American. noun. a device for determining perpendicularity, consisting of a narrow board with a plumb line and bob suspended from an upper edge.
What is a plumb?
If you apply the square to the level, you get the PLUMB — the living perpendicular esteemed by all true craftsmen, and the emblem of growth and immortality.
What was the name of the first plumbed tool?
The earliest craftsmen used a weighted cord as a plumb. The Greeks of yore formed a bob of lead on a cord and they gave it a name: MOLUBDOS, meaning lead. From this working tool evolved the name MOLYBDENUM, the name of a well known metal.
What is a plumb line test?
n. A narrow strip of wood with a plumb line hanging from it, used to test verticality. a device for determining perpendicularity, consisting of a narrow board with a plumb line hanging from it.