Adjacent Words

plumbing definitions

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WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: utility consisting of the pipes and fixtures for the distribution of water or gas in a building and for the disposal of sewage [syn: plumbing, plumbing system]
2: the occupation of a plumber (installing and repairing pipes and fixtures for water or gas or sewage in a building) [syn: plumbing, plumbery]
3: measuring the depths of the oceans [syn: bathymetry, plumbing]

Merriam Webster's

noun Date: 1666 1. the act of using a plumb 2. a plumber's occupation or trade 3. a. the apparatus (as pipes and fixtures) concerned in the distribution and use of water in a building b. an internal system that resembles plumbing; especially one consisting of conduits or channels for conveying fluids

Britannica Concise

System of pipes and fixtures installed in a building for the distribution of potable water and the removal of waterborne wastes. Plumbing is usually distinguished from water and sewage systems, which serve a group of buildings or a city. Improvement in plumbing systems was very slow, with virtually no progress made from the time of the Roman system of aqueducts and lead pipes until the 19th cent. Eventually the development of separate, underground water and sewage systems eliminated open sewage ditches. Present-day water pipes are usually made of steel, copper, brass, plastic, or other nontoxic material. A building's waste-disposal system has two parts: the drainage system and the venting system. The drainage portion comprises pipes leading from various fixture drains to the central main, which is connected to the sewage system. The venting system consists of pipes leading from an air inlet (usually on the roof) to various points within the drainage system; by providing the circulation of air within the system, it protects the trap seals of fixtures from siphonage and back pressure. See also sewage system, sewer, water-supply system.

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. 1 the system or apparatus of water-supply, heating, etc., in a building. 2 the work of a plumber. 3 colloq. lavatory installations.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Plumb Plumb, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Plumbed; p. pr. & vb. n. Plumbing.] 1. To adjust by a plumb line; to cause to be perpendicular; as, to plumb a building or a wall. 2. To sound with a plumb or plummet, as the depth of water; hence, to examine by test; to ascertain the depth, quality, dimension, etc.; to sound; to fathom; to test. He did not attempt to plumb his intellect. --Ld. Lytton. 3. To seal with lead; as, to plumb a drainpipe. 4. To supply, as a building, with a system of plumbing.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Plumbing Plumb"ing, n. 1. The art of casting and working in lead, and applying it to building purposes; especially, the business of furnishing, fitting, and repairing pipes for conducting water, sewage, etc. --Gwilt. 2. The lead or iron pipes, and other apparatus, used in conveying water, sewage, etc., in a building.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

1. The plumbing in a building consists of the water and drainage pipes, baths, and toilets in it. The electrics and the plumbing were sound. 2. Plumbing is the work of connecting and repairing things such as water and drainage pipes, baths, and toilets. She learned the rudiments of brick-laying, wiring and plumbing.

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. Plumbery, plummery.

Moby Thesaurus

accouterments, apparatus, appliances, appointments, appurtenances, armament, conveniences, duffel, equipage, equipment, facilities, facility, fittings, fixtures, furnishings, furniture, gear, impedimenta, installations, kit, machinery, materiel, munition, munitions, outfit, paraphernalia, plant, rig, rigging, stock-in-trade, tackle, things, utensils