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plomo

lead

noun PLOH-moh Less Common

Origin: From Latin plumbum, also the origin of the chemical symbol Pb.

Also means

plumb line

Usage Note

Plomo denotes the heavy grey metal (tuberías de plomo) but in colloquial Spain it also describes a boring or tedious person: es un plomo ('he's a real bore'). The color gris plomo means lead-grey. The verb aplomar and adjective aplomado (self-assured, steady) share the same root.

Examples

"Las viejas tuberías estaban hechas de plomo."

Natural Translation

The old pipes were made of lead.

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