Definition of PLUMMET

plummet

Plural: plummets

Noun

  • the metal bob of a plumb line
  • A piece of lead attached to a line, used in sounding the depth of water; a plumb bob or a plumb line.
  • Hence, any weight.
  • A piece of lead formerly used by schoolchildren to rule paper for writing (that is, to mark with rules, with lines).
  • A violent or dramatic fall.
  • A decline; a fall; a drop.

Verb

Verb Forms: plummeted, plummeting, plummets

  • To fall or drop straight down at high speed.
  • drop sharply
    • "The stock market plummeted"
  • To drop swiftly, in a direct manner; to fall quickly.

Examples

  • After its ascent, the arrow plummeted to earth.
  • His score began to PLUMMET after several unsuccessful challenges in Scrabble.

Origin / Etymology

From Middle English plommet (“ball of lead, plumb of a bob-line”), recorded since 1382, from Old French plommet or plomet, the diminutive of plom, plum (“lead, sounding lead”), from Latin plumbum (“lead”). The verb is first recorded in 1626, originally meaning “to fathom, take soundings", from the noun.

Synonyms

plumb, plumb bob, plump, dive, drop, fall

Scrabble Score: 13

plummet: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Word
plummet: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
plummet: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 18

plummet: valid Words With Friends Word