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Webster 1913 Edition


Plummet

Plum′met

,
Noun.
[OE.
plommet
, OF.
plommet
, fr.
plom
,
plum
, lead, F.
plomb
. See
Plumb
.]
1.
A piece of lead attached to a line, used in sounding the depth of water.
I’ll sink him deeper than e'er
plummet
sounded.
Shakespeare
2.
A plumb bob or a plumb line. See under
Plumb
,
Noun.
3.
Hence, any weight.
4.
A piece of lead formerly used by school children to rule paper for writing.
Plummet line
,
a line with a plummet; a sounding line.

Webster 1828 Edition


Plummet

PLUM'MET

,
Noun.
[See Plumb.]
1.
A long piece of lead attached to a line, used in sounding the depth of water.
2.
An instrument used by carpenters, masons, &c. in adjusting erections to a perpendicular line, and with a square, to determine a horizontal line. It consists of a piece of lead fastened to a line.
3.
Any weight.
4.
A piece of lead used by school boys to rule their paper for writing.

Definition 2024


plummet

plummet

English

Noun

plummet (plural plummets)

  1. (archaic) A piece of lead attached to a line, used in sounding the depth of water.
  2. (archaic) A plumb bob or a plumb line.
  3. (archaic) Hence, any weight.
    • 1945, Ernie Pyle, Here is Your War: Story of G.I. Joe, The World Publishing Company (1945), page #93:
      His parachute was shot half away, and if he'd jumped he would have fallen like a plummet.
  4. (archaic) A piece of lead formerly used by school children to rule paper for writing
  5. a plummet line, a line with a plummet; a sounding line.
  6. Violent or dramatic fall
  7. (figuratively) decline; fall; drop
    • 2010 December 29, Chris Whyatt, “Chelsea 1 - 0 Bolton”, in BBC:
      Yet another seriously under-par performance is unlikely to provide any real answers to their remarkable plummet in form - but it proves they can at least churn out a much-needed result.

Translations

Verb

plummet (third-person singular simple present plummets, present participle plummeting or plummetting, simple past and past participle plummeted or plummetted)

  1. (intransitive) To drop swiftly, in a direct manner; to fall quickly.
    After its ascent, the arrow plummeted to earth.

Synonyms

Antonyms

Translations

See also

References

  • plummet” in Douglas Harper, Online Etymology Dictionary (2001).