plumb

noun

1. A little mass of lead, or the like, attached to a line, and used by builders, etc., to indicate a vertical direction.
2. A weight on the end of a long line, used by sailors to determine the depth of water.
3. The perpendicular direction or position.

   “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.”

4. (alt-of, obsolete)Obsolete spelling of plum (“the fruit”).

   “Without attending to sub-divisions, all the pears are of one species, as well as all the apples, plumbs, peaches, cherries, lemons, citrons, oranges […]”

adj

1. Truly vertical, as indicated by a plumb line.
2. Describing an LBW where the batsman is hit on the pads directly in front of their wicket and should be given out.

adv

1. (not-comparable)In a vertical direction; perpendicularly.

   “Plumb down he drops.”

2. (informal, not-comparable)Squarely, directly; deeply, completely.

   “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.'.”

verb

1. To determine the depth, generally of a liquid; to sound.
2. To attach to a water supply and drain.

   “The kitchen sink is now plumbed in / up.”

3. (figuratively, transitive)To think about or explore in depth, to get to the bottom of.

   “to plumb the depths of”

   “Delving to the core of her heart, his blue-green eyes plumbed her psyche, stripping it of all defenses, all resolve.”

   “The pressure had been on City, on Guardiola, to deliver the trophy that Sheikh Mansour has craved since his takeover in 2008 but it was an occasion when the manager found a new way to lose, to plumb fresh depths of frustration.”

4. To use a plumb bob as a measuring or aligning tool.
5. To accurately align vertically or horizontally.
6. (dated)To seal something with lead.
7. (intransitive)To work as a plumber.
8. (rare)To fall or sink like a plummet.
9. (US, colloquial, figuratively, obsolete)To trace a road or track; to follow it to its end.
10. To position vertically above or below.

name

1. A surname.