plummet
to drop straight down
Root
- plumb: lead weight, pipe lead, vertical drop, or measured depth
Other words with the plumb root
- plumber: pipe installer or repairer
Plummet keeps the lead-weight image: something falls like a weight on a line.
Scores plummeted after the practice test switched to harder passages.
Plumb once meant a lead weight used to find a true vertical line. Plummet turns that weight into motion: a sharp, straight drop.