plumbing
Meaning
The system of pipes, tanks, and other apparatus required for the water supply, heating, and sanitation in a building.
The work of installing and maintaining such a system.
Structure
Usage
The old house needs its plumbing replaced.
He works in the plumbing industry.
A leak in the plumbing caused significant water damage.
Etymology
The word 'plumbing' originates from the Latin plumbum, meaning "lead", a soft, malleable metal extensively used by the Romans for constructing water pipes and conduits. The term 'plumber' (one who works with lead) emerged in Middle English from the Old French plommier, derived from the same Latin root. Consequently, 'plumbing' evolved to denote the craft of working with lead pipes and, by extension, the entire system of pipes for water and drainage. The modern abstract meaning retains the historical link to the material that defined the trade, even though most pipes are no longer made of lead.
Analysis
plumb (from Latin plumbum, meaning "lead", the metal; functions as the core root). ing (from Old English -ung, a suffix forming nouns from verbs, indicating an action, its result, or a system related to that action).