verb
plumb
PLUM/plʌm/
To measure how deep something is.
The sailor plumbs the water with a weighted line.
Etymology
Lead supplied the weight lowered on a line to measure depth. To plumb a subject extends that action figuratively: to investigate until reaching its bottom.
In context
plumb its depths -- from why we sleep in the first place, to what goes on in our brains when we do, to what happens when we can’t sleep.
More examples
- We plumbed the lake before choosing a diving spot.
- They need a longer line to plumb the well.
- The novel plumbs the depths of a father's grief.
Forms
plumb · plumbs · plumbed · plumbing