Plummet
WordNet
noun
(1) The metal bob of a plumb line
verb
(2) Drop sharply
"The stock market plummeted"
WiktionaryText
Etymology
From , recorded since 1382, from or , the diminutive of , , from . The verb is first recorded in 1626, originally meaning "to fathom, take soundings," from the noun.
Noun
- : 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. -Shak.
- : A plumb bob or a plumb line. See under plumb, n.
- : Hence, any weight.
- : A piece of lead formerly used by school children to rule paper for writing
- hence a plummet line, a line with a plummet; a sounding line.