Plunge
/plʌndʒ/noun
To fall or move suddenly downward or forward, especially into something.
Did you know?Plunge is ultimately tied to the same Latin root as plumbum, meaning “lead,” because the idea began with a heavy lead weight dropping straight down.
Etymological Timeline
Late Middle English
English
plungen
“to dive, sink, or thrust into a liquid or into something”
Old French
Old French
plongier
“to dive, sink, or immerse”
Vulgar Latin
Latin
*plumbicare
“to weigh down with lead; to sink”
Latin
Latin
plumbum
“lead”
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*pleu-
“to flow, float, or swim”