LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · neutersecond declension

plumbum

plumbum n (genitive plumbī)
Classical[ˈpɫʊm.bũː]Ecclesiastical[ˈplum.bum]
Mille Verba core vocabulary

Meaning

  1. neuterlead (metal)
  2. neuterball of lead
  3. neuterpoeticpipe of lead
  4. New Latinneuterpencil

Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers

metallum grave et molle, colōre obscūrō.
plumbum -ī n — in Mille Verba, Mercātus

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativeplumbumplumba
genitiveplumbīplumbōrum
dativeplumbōplumbīs
accusativeplumbumplumba
ablativeplumbōplumbīs
vocativeplumbumplumba

plumbum, i, n. for mlumbum; Gr. μόλμβος, μόλυβδος,
I. lead.
I. Lit.
A. In gen.: dolia plumbo vincito, Cato, R. R. 39: plumbum album, tin, Lucr. 6, 1079; Caes. B. G. 5, 12; called also candidum, Plin. 34, 16, 47, § 157; but plumbum nigrum, lead, id. 34, 16, 47, § 159.—
B. In partic.
1. A leaden ball or bullet (poet.): Balearica plumbum Funda jacit, Ov. M. 2, 727; Verg. A. 9, 587.—
2. Leaden pipes (poet.): purior in vicis aqua tendit rumpere plumbum, Hor. Ep. 1, 10, 20.—
3. A scourge with a leaden ball at the end of it (poet.), Prud. στεφ. 10. 116.—
4. A pencil or ruler: membrana plumbo directa, Cat. 22, 7.—
II. Transf., a defect in the eye (post-Aug.): plumbum (quod est genus vitii) ex oculo tollitur, Plin. 25, 13, 97, § 155.

Origins

Traditionally connected to Ancient Greek μόλυβδος (mólubdos, “lead”); however, this is repudiated by Beekes, who instead connects the Latin term to Proto-Celtic *ɸloudom (“lead”). De Vaan accepts this cognate pairing, but notes that the Latin and Celtic terms would have to be borrowed from a substrate language due to phonetic mismatches if the Latin were inherited directly from Proto-Indo-European *plowdʰo- (“lead”). Said substrate may be Etruscan, Iberian, or some other pre-Indo-European Mediterranean language; compare Berber forms such as Tashelhit aldun and Senhaja de Srair andun.

Gallo-Romance
  • Frenchplombfrom Old French plum
  • Englishplumbfrom Old French plum
  • Englishplummetfrom Old French plum
  • Catalanplomfrom Old Catalan plom
  • Spanishplomofrom Old Catalan plom
  • Occitanplomfrom Old Occitan plom
  • Occitanplombfrom Old Occitan plom
  • Franco-Provençalplomb
  • Asturianplomufrom Old Catalan plom
  • Senhaja de Srairplumufrom Old Catalan plom
Insular Romance
  • Sardinianpeumu
  • Sardinianpiumbu
  • Sardinianpiumu
  • Sardinianplumbu
Elsewhere
  • Englishplumbum
  • GermanPlumbum
  • Portugueseprumo
  • Albanianplumb
  • Asturianplombu
  • Esperantoplumbo
  • Idoplombo
  • Indonesianplumbum
  • Interlinguaplumbo
  • Limburgishplómb
Balkano-Romance
  • Romanianplumb
  • Aromanianpliumbu
  • Aromanianpljumbu
Italo-Dalmatian
  • Italianpiombo
  • Corsicanpiombu
  • Dalmatianplomb
  • Istriotpiònbo
  • Polishpionfrom Italian piombo
  • Judeo-Italianפְלוּמוֹ
  • Neapolitanchiummo
  • Sicilianchiummu
  • Venetanpiònbo
Ibero-Romance
  • Portuguesechumbofrom Old Galician-Portuguese chumbo
  • Ribagorçanpllomfrom Aragonese plomo
  • Asturianchombu
  • Galicianchumbofrom Old Galician-Portuguese chumbo
Rhaeto-Romance
  • Friulianplomp
  • Friulianplomb
  • Ladinplom
  • Romanshplum
  • Romanshplùn
  • Romanshplùm
  • Romanshplom
Gallo-Italic
  • Emilianpiòmb
  • Liguriancióngio
  • Lombardpiomb
  • Lombardpiom
  • Piedmontesepiomb
  • Romagnolpiòmb

In English words that came into English from plumbum

  • plumberplumbārius
  • plummetplumbum
  • plumbplumba
  • plumbicplumbum
  • plumbagoplumbāgō
  • plumbiferousplumbum
  • plumbousplumbōsus
  • plumbeousplumbeus
  • plumbismplumbum
  • plumbumplumbum

Quick answers

What does plumbum mean in Latin?
plumbum, a noun, means “lead (metal); ball of lead; pipe of lead”.
What is the genitive of plumbum?
The genitive singular is plumbī. plumbum is neuter, second declension.
How do you pronounce plumbum?
In classical Latin, [ˈpɫʊm.bũː]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [ˈplum.bum].
Which English words come from plumbum?
English words that go back to Latin plumbum include plummet, plumbic, plumbiferous, plumbism, plumbum and plumber.