A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)
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First published 1983 (DOST Vol. V).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1567-1609, 1665
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Plum(b, Plomb, v. [e.m.E. and ME. plumben (Wyclif), plom (a 1450), plombe (1580), to fall straight down, etc., in sense a below (1580), in sense b below (1756), f. Plum(b n. Cf. F. plomber, prob. the direct source of sense b.] a. To measure the distance to (the bottom of the sea or a pit by sounding. b. To seal (a package) with a leaden seal. — a 1568 Sempill Sat. P. xlvi. 29.
Plum weill the grund quhat evir ȝe doo 1609 Mining Rec. 150.
For aucht scoir faddom of small lyne towis to mesour the grund and plumb schaftis — 1665 Lauder Jrnl. 162.
10 souse to cause plomb it [sc. a box of books] with the King of Frances armes
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"Plum v.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 15 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/dost/plumb_v>
