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What is "plumb line"

Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
plumb line
noun
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪ But again, as with the lintels, the union did not allow the bricklayers to use a plumb line.
▪ If any walls appear to lean, check by going back to the nearest upper window and drop a plumb line down.
The Collaborative International Dictionary
Plumb line

Plumb \Plumb\ (pl[u^]m), n. [F. plomb, L. plumbum lead, a leaden ball or bullet; cf. Gr. mo`lybos, mo`libos, mo`lybdos. Cf. Plummet, Plunge.] A little mass or weight of lead, or the like, attached to a line, and used by builders, etc., to indicate a vertical direction; a plummet; a plumb bob. See Plumb line, below. Plumb bob. See Bob, 4. Plumb joint, in sheet-metal work, a lap joint, fastened by solder. Plumb level. See under Level. Plumb line.

  1. The cord by which a plumb bob is suspended; a plummet.

  2. A line directed to the center of gravity of the earth.

    Plumb rule, a narrow board with a plumb line, used by builders and carpenters.

Wiktionary
plumb line

n. 1 A cord with a weight attached, used to produce a vertical line. 2 Any vertical reference line.

WordNet
plumb line

n. a cord from which a metal weight is suspended pointing directly to the earth's center of gravity; used to determine the vertical from a given point [syn: perpendicular]