Both Uses of
plummet
in
The Tempest
Uses with a meaning too rare to warrant foucs:
- Therefore my son i' th' ooze is bedded; and
I'll seek him deeper than e'er plummet sounded,
And with him there lie mudded.Scene 3.3 *plummet = the metal weight of a plumb line (used to measure water depth)
- But this rough magic I here abjure;
And, when I have requir'd
Some heavenly music,—which even now I do,—
To work mine end upon their senses that
This airy charm is for,
I'll break my staff,
Bury it certain fathoms in the earth,
And deeper than did ever plummet sound
I'll drown my book.Scene 5.1plummet = the metal weight of a plumb line used to measure the depth of water
Definitions:
-
(1)
(plummet) fall or decrease suddenly
-
(2)
(meaning too rare to warrant focus) Much more rarely, plummet can reference the metal weight of a plumb line. (A plumb line is a cord from which a metal weight is suspended to indicate a straight line downward, or to measure depth.)