n. [ AS. plūme, fr. L. prunum; akin to Gr. &unr_;, &unr_;. Cf. Prune a dried plum. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

1. (Bot.) The edible drupaceous fruit of the Prunus domestica, and of several other species of Prunus; also, the tree itself, usually called plum tree. [ 1913 Webster ]

The bullace, the damson, and the numerous varieties of plum, of our gardens, although growing into thornless trees, are believed to be varieties of the blackthorn, produced by long cultivation. G. Bentham. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ Two or three hundred varieties of plums derived from the Prunus domestica are described; among them the greengage, the Orleans, the purple gage, or Reine Claude Violette, and the German prune, are some of the best known. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ Among the true plums are;
Beach plum, the Prunus maritima, and its crimson or purple globular drupes, --
Bullace plum. See Bullace. --
Chickasaw plum, the American Prunus Chicasa, and its round red drupes. --
Orleans plum, a dark reddish purple plum of medium size, much grown in England for sale in the markets. --
Wild plum of America, Prunus Americana, with red or yellow fruit, the original of the Iowa plum and several other varieties. [ 1913 Webster ] Among plants called plum, but of other genera than Prunus, are;
Australian plum, Cargillia arborea and Cargillia australis, of the same family with the persimmon. --
Blood plum, the West African Hæmatostaphes Barteri. --
Cocoa plum, the Spanish nectarine. See under Nectarine. --
Date plum. See under Date. --
Gingerbread plum, the West African Parinarium macrophyllum. --
Gopher plum, the Ogeechee lime. --
Gray plum,
Guinea plum. See under Guinea. --
Indian plum, several species of Flacourtia. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A grape dried in the sun; a raisin. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. A handsome fortune or property; formerly, in cant language, the sum of £100, 000 sterling; also, the person possessing it. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. Something likened to a plum in desirableness; a good or choice thing of its kind, as among appointments, positions, parts of a book, etc.; as, the mayor rewarded his cronies with cushy plums, requiring little work for handsome pay [ Webster 1913 Suppl. +PJC ]

5. A color resembling that of a plum; a slightly grayish deep purple, varying somewhat in its red or blue tint. [ PJC ]

Plum bird,
Plum budder (Zool.), the European bullfinch. --
Plum gouger (Zool.), a weevil, or curculio (Coccotorus scutellaris), which destroys plums. It makes round holes in the pulp, for the reception of its eggs. The larva bores into the stone and eats the kernel. --
Plum weevil (Zool.), an American weevil which is very destructive to plums, nectarines, cherries, and many other stone fruits. It lays its eggs in crescent-shaped incisions made with its jaws. The larva lives upon the pulp around the stone. Called also turk, and plum curculio. See Illust. under Curculio. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n.; pl. Plumæ [ L. ] (Zool.) A feather. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F., from plume a feather. ] (Zool.) The entire clothing of a bird. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ It consist of the contour feathers, or the ordinary feathers covering the head, neck, and body; the tail feathers, with their upper and lower coverts; the wing feathers, including primaries, secondaries, and tertiaries, with their coverts; and the down which lies beneath the contour feathers. See Illust. under Bird. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. F. plumasseau. ] A plume or collection of ornamental feathers. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ F. ] One who prepares or deals in ornamental plumes or feathers. [ 1913 Webster ]

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. [ 1913 Webster ]

Plumb bob. See Bob, 4. --
Plumb joint, in sheet-metal work, a lap joint, fastened by solder. --
Plumb level. See under Level. --
Plumb line. (a) The cord by which a plumb bob is suspended; a plummet. (b) 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. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Perpendicular; vertical; conforming the direction of a line attached to a plumb; as, the wall is plumb. [ 1913 Webster ]

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. [ 1913 Webster ]

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. [ 1913 Webster ]

He did not attempt to plumb his intellect. Ld. Lytton. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. To seal with lead; as, to plumb a drainpipe. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. To supply, as a building, with a system of plumbing. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. In a plumb direction; perpendicularly. “Plumb down he falls.” Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Leadwork [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]