plumbing

Everyday

1. Plumbing is the system of pipes, taps, toilets and drains that bring clean water into a building and take dirty water away. tree →
2. Plumbing is the job of putting in and fixing these pipes, done by a plumber. tree →
3. (informal, joking) Someone's plumbing can mean the inside of their body, especially the bladder or bowels. tree →

In the lessons

In science and history lessons it shows how clean water and sewers stop disease; the Romans had lead pipes, and «plumbing» comes from the Latin word for lead, «plumbum». In everyday life, leaks and blocked drains are plumbing problems. Phrases: «indoor plumbing», «the plumbing is blocked», «fix the plumbing».

Examples

• The old cottage had no indoor plumbing, so they used a well. tree →
• Water was dripping because the plumbing leaked. tree →
• My uncle does plumbing and fixes boilers. tree →
• Don't flush wipes; they block the plumbing. tree →
• Roman towns had surprisingly good plumbing. tree →
• Plumbing helped stop diseases like cholera spreading in cities. tree →
• When the plumbing froze in winter, we had no water. tree →

Note

Uncountable: no «a plumbing», no «plumbings». The «b» is silent: «PLUM-ing». Same in «plumber». The chemical symbol for lead, Pb, comes from the same Latin word.