plumbing

/'plʌmiɳ/
Học thuật
Thân thiện
Definition
  1. Noun:
    • The system of pipes, tanks, and fixtures installed in a building for the distribution of water and gas and for the disposal of sewage: This is the most common meaning, referring to the physical infrastructure for water supply and waste removal.
    • The work or occupation of installing and repairing such systems: This refers to the skilled trade performed by a plumber.
    • (Archaic) The act of measuring the depth of a body of water, especially the ocean: This older, specialized meaning relates to sounding depths.
Usage and Examples

  • Referring to the physical system:

    • The old house needs new plumbing.
    • A leak in the plumbing caused water damage in the kitchen.

  • Referring to the trade or work:

    • He learned plumbing from his father.
    • Good plumbing is essential for public health.

  • Referring to depth measurement (archaic/technical):

    • The ship's plumbing of the channel revealed a shallow reef.
Advanced Usage and Notes
  • "The plumbing" is often used as a collective singular noun for the entire pipe system in a building.
  • In informal contexts, "the plumbing" can be a euphemism for a person's urinary or digestive system.
    • After the spicy food, my plumbing was out of order all night.
Variants and Related Words
  • Plumber (n): A person who installs and repairs plumbing systems.
  • Plumb (v): To test the alignment of a vertical surface; to measure the depth of water; to understand something profoundly.
  • Plumb (adv): Exactly, vertically; completely.
  • Plumb line (n): A cord with a weight used to find a vertical line.
Synonyms
  • Piping: A system of pipes (often for a specific fluid like gas or oil).
  • Pipework: The network of pipes in a system.
  • Sanitation system: Emphasizes the waste disposal function.
Related Phrases and Idioms
  • Plumb the depths (of something): To experience or examine the worst or most extreme aspects of something.
    • The film plumbs the depths of human despair.
  • Plumb crazy (informal): Completely insane.
    • That idea is plumb crazy.
Noun
  1. measuring the depths of the oceans
  2. the occupation of a plumber (installing and repairing pipes and fixtures for water or gas or sewage in a building)
  3. utility consisting of the pipes and fixtures for the distribution of water or gas in a building and for the disposal of sewage

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