plungen.
/plʌn(d)ʒ/, U.S. /pləndʒ/ I. Senses relating to immersion in water.
1. † a. A deep pool; a place where one may plunge. at the plunge: (Scottish) immersed. Obsolete (English regional in later use).In quot. 1640: a deep accumulation of clay (here used of the human body; cf. clay n. 4).
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the world > the earth > water > lake > pool > [noun] > other types
weelc897
lowa1200
sougha1300
plungec1450
Sabbatical pool1613
slough1714
tinaja1835
rock pool1836
pokelogan1848
salmon pool1866
plunge pool1870
Strandbad1939
solar pool1960
c1450 (?a1400) Wars Alexander (Ashm.) 5546 (MED) In at a wicket he went & wynly it speris; Princes pointid it with pik, & he þe plunge entres [L. descendit in profundum maris].
a1513 W. Dunbar Ballat Abbot of Tungland in Poems (1998) I. 59 And he lay at the plunge evirmair, Sa lang as any ravin did rair.
?1553 (c1501) G. Douglas Palice of Honour (London) 1707 in Shorter Poems (2003) 106 The falkonnis..Mewand the fowlys..And at the plunge part saw I handlyt hate.
1640 W. Lithgow Gushing Teares of Godly Sorrow sig. D A plunge of carion clay, a prey for wormes.
1847 J. O. Halliwell Dict. Archaic & Provinc. Words II Plunge,..a deep pool. Somerset.
b. Originally U.S. A plunge bath or plunge pool.
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the world > physical sensation > cleanness and dirtiness > cleaning > washing > washing oneself or body > [noun] > bathing > a bath > plunge-bath
plunging bath1796
plunge bath1827
plunge1857
1857 Harper's Mag. Dec. 86/2 The bath-rooms were clean and pleasant, supplied with every desirable luxury in the way of douches, sitz-baths, squirts, and plunges.
1870 N.Y. Herald 4 Jan. 5/5 Imagine pumping warm water into a cold plunge, when every care has to be used to keep that water as cold as possible.
1896 G. Ade Artie i. 4 If they'll put in a punchin'-bag and a plunge they can have my game.
1978 Detroit Free Press 2 Apr. 19 a/1 It's like sitting in a hot sauna and then you're thrown into a cold plunge. It's an instantaneous shock.
1988 R. Pickernell Yanto's Summer (BNC) 122 On surprisingly weak legs he made his way there and gratefully dived into the plunge.
c. = plunge bed n. at Compounds 1.
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the world > food and drink > farming > gardening > garden > division or part of garden > [noun] > bed or plot > plunge bed
plunge bed1871
plunge1973
1973 Times 22 Sept. 13/2 If we have..an Indian summer, water the ‘plunge’ regularly.
1995 Garden (Royal Hort. Soc.) Nov. 687/1 If the pots are over-summered in a sand plunge, I find that keeping the plunge just moist is sufficient.
2. A fall or dive into water; an immersion in water. In later use esp.: a dip, a brief bathe. Also in figurative context.
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the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > downward motion > [noun] > diving into water
diving1398
plunge1615
dive1700
plunging1883
1615 G. Markham Countrey Contentments 92 Let her enewe the foule so longe til shee bring it to the plundge.
1658 J. Spencer Καινα και Παλαια 264 Jupiter casteth a stock amongst them [sc. frogs] which at the first fall made such a plunge in the water, that with the dashing thereof, they were all affrighted.
1711 J. Addison Spectator No. 94. ¶9 After his first Plunge into the Sea.
1785 W. Cowper Task v. 64 Fearful of too deep a plunge.
1826 J. F. Cooper Last of Mohicans II. ii. 27 After an impatient and breathless pause of several minutes, a plunge was heard into the water.
1883 R. L. Stevenson Treasure Island iii. xiii. 104 The plunge of our anchor sent up clouds of birds wheeling and crying over the woods.
1925 F. S. Fitzgerald Great Gatsby v. 98 Well, suppose we take a plunge in the swimming-pool?
1974 Lincoln (Nebraska) Star 7 Oct. 2/4 He used to go for a plunge in the fountain on the south lawn.
2005 Toronto Sun (Nexis) 16 Jan. (Travel section) t10 What could be better on a hot summer day than a refreshing plunge in a pool at the base of a small waterfall?
3. A heavy fall of water, esp. a heavy downpour of rain. Also: the fall or breaking of a wave. Now rare. Sc. National Dict. s.v. records the sense as still in use in Perthshire in 1975.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the earth > water > flow or flowing > wave > movement of waves > [noun] > breaking or dashing
beating?c1225
jasch1513
wash1579
plash breach1582
breacha1616
breaking1647
plunge1781
jow1820
the world > the earth > weather and the atmosphere > weather > precipitation or atmospheric moisture > rain > [noun] > a or the fall of rain > downpour
floodc1275
spate1513
spout1554
gourder1565
squata1640
downpouring1669
deluge1720
pash1722
plout1740
on-ding1776
pelt1785
soaker1789
pelter1791
teem1793
pour1794
oncome1808
downpour1811
plash1820
slashing1829
plungec1841
dispunging1876
steeper1878
splurge1879
soak1891
drencher1892
toad-strangler1938
1781 Gentleman's Mag. 51 616 The weight of the former [sc. a water spout], by heavy plunges raised the sea into mountains.
c1841 T. Carlyle in Atlantic Monthly (1898) 82 450/2 Before that it was as bad as weather at any time need be: long continued plunges of wet [etc.].
1862 J. W. Carlyle Lett. III. 96 Then walk or ride three hours under a plunge of rain.
1863 H. W. Longfellow Prelude xii, in Tales Wayside Inn 14 The plunge of the implacable seas.
1903 Daily Northwestern (Oshkosh, Wisconsin) 7 Mar. 11/3 A day of drenching downpour—an unrelenting plunge of rain, which began in the gray of morning and lasted till the gray of sunset.
II. Extended uses.† 7. Fortification. A shallow slope given to the top surface of a parapet or battlement, making the inner edge slightly higher than the outer; = plonge n. Obsolete. rare.
4. † b. A heavy downward blow. Obsolete.
a. A sudden heavy or violent movement out of the regular line of motion; esp. a sharp downward movement (literal and figurative); a lurch.Sometimes used spec. of a horse's lunges downwards (cf. plunge v. 2a).
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the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > downward motion > [noun] > plunging > instance of
plunge1496
pitch1751
nosedive1920
1496 Treat. Fysshynge wyth Angle in Bk. St. Albans (rev. ed.) sig. hv Kepe hym [sc. the fish] euer vnder the rodde..soo that your lyne may susteyne and beere his lepys and his plungys.
1589 ‘Pasquill of England’ Returne of Pasquill sig. Civ Like a furious beast wrapt in the cordes..after many a vayne plunge which he giues to breake away.
1613 R. Harcourt Relation Voy. Guiana 42 They met with many dreadful plunges, by reason of a high going sea.
a1625 W. Shakespeare & J. Fletcher Two Noble Kinsmen (1634) v. vi. 74 When neither Curb would cracke, girth breake nor diffring plunges Dis-roote his Rider. View more context for this quotation
1792 M. Wollstonecraft Vindic. Rights Woman xv. 440 I have sometimes compared the struggles of these poor children [in school]..to the despairing plunges of a spirited filly.
a1817 J. Austen Northanger Abbey (1818) I. ix You will not be frightened..if my horse should dance about a bit at first setting off. He will, most likely, give a plunge or two. View more context for this quotation
1846 C. Dickens Pictures from Italy ii A small pigeon-hole, out of which another..puppet made one of the most sudden plunges I ever saw accomplished.
1880 Evening Gaz. (Port Jervis, N.Y.) 20 Nov. 1/1 The deer gave an upward plunge and fell to the ground, apparently lifeless.
1904 J. London Sea-wolf ii.12 The lift and forward plunge of a ship on the sea.
1919 Outing Mar. 309/3 The muskellunge took a plunge downward and toward the boat.
1924 Sheboygan (Wisconsin) Press 27 Dec. 1/4 These [states] will receive freezing temperatures but without the sharp plunge of the thermometer scheduled in the north.
1941 S. J. Baker Pop. Dict. Austral. Slang 14 Buck, the plunge of a horse in ‘bucking’.
1989 Atlantic Oct. 53/1 The jagged bounces, the stomach-churning spurts and plunges [of the economy], that we saw from 1973 to 1982.
1998 J. S. Russell Chaucer & Trivium iii. 118 All semblance of control and dominion will be lost in a world where such plunges of Fortune go unchecked by righteous force.
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the world > movement > impact > striking > striking with specific degree of force > [noun] > striking heavily > a heavy blow > downward
plunge1836
1836 E. Howard Rattlin xiii Two boys fight..; one of them gets a plunge on the nose.
5. figurative. The point at which a person is precipitated into trouble, difficulty, or danger; a critical situation, a strait; a dilemma. Esp. in to put to a plunge and variants. Now rare (English regional (midlands) in later use).
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the world > action or operation > difficulty > [noun] > difficult state of things > sudden, extreme, or emergency
needOE
needinga1400
exigentc1475
plunge1519
opportunity1526
push1563
dead lift1567
heft1587
exigence1588
exigency1601
emergent1620
lift1624
emergencya1631
emergencea1676
emergementa1734
amplush1827
crisis1848
situation1954
1519 W. Horman Vulgaria xxiiii. f. 205 I am put to a plunge: as moche as I am worthe.
1535 Bp. J. Fisher Wks. (1876) i. 415 When a person hath deserued a great open shame, & is broght euen to the plunge of the matter, and yet by the meanes of helpe he is deliuered.
1553 tr. Short Catech. f. lxiiv We beseech our Father, that he bring us into no such hard escape and peril, nor leave us in the very plunge of danger.
1579 L. Tomson tr. J. Calvin Serm. Epist. S. Paule to Timothie & Titus 900/2 Or if it bee the deuill that worketh by the inchaunters hands, will not men say that God is put to his plunges to ouercome Satan?
1611 R. Cotgrave Dict. French & Eng. Tongues at Breviaire Il est au bout de son breviaire, he is at a plunge, or nonplus; he hath no more to say.
a1657 H. Cholmley Mem. (1870) 28 When I was in the greatest plunge for money.
1687 A. Lovell tr. J. de Thévenot Trav. into Levant i. 264 The Captain demanding payment of his Money, put the Prince to a great plunge.
1741 W. Warburton Divine Legation Moses II. vi. vi. 670 As he had no great Stock of Argument,..at a Plunge any Thing would be acceptable that came to his Relief.
a1780 J. Harris Philol. Inq. (1781) iii. i. 239 At length, after various plunges and various escapes, it [sc. the Eastern empire] was totally annihilated in the fifteenth century.
1854 A. E. Baker Gloss. Northants. Words II. 125 Plunge, a strait, a difficulty. ‘I was put to a plunge’.
1884 R. Lawson Upton-on-Severn Words & Phrases Plunge, a falling into, or going under trouble or sickness.
a1903 A. Bubb in Eng. Dial. Dict. (1903) IV. 560/2 [Gloucestershire] Plunge [a strait, difficulty].
6.
a. An act of immersing oneself in a social sphere, way of life, etc.; a significant or decisive step or action, esp. one which cannot easily be reversed. to take (also make) the plunge: to take a decisive first step; to commit oneself irrevocably to a course of action, esp. in spite of nervousness.
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the world > action or operation > undertaking > undertake or set oneself to do [verb (intransitive)] > commit oneself
to go to it by the week1592
to take (also make) the plunge1702
1702 Prerogative of Breeches 3 The Petticoat Statesman makes a plunge in Philosophy, and discants on the Difference of Sex.
1771 tr. C. F. Badini Pazzie d'Orlando ii. 34 An[gelica]. Very fine truly—excellent husband! Me[doro]. (Aside.) I have taken a plunge indeed.
1845 C. Dickens Let. 20 Oct. (1977) IV. 412 The venture is quite decided on; and I have made the Plunge.
1848 W. M. Thackeray Pendennis (1850) I. vi. 61 The poor boy had taken the plunge. Trembling with passionate emotion,..poor Pen had said those words which he could withhold no more.
1873 W. Black Princess of Thule x. 165 Her first plunge into the pleasures of civilized life.
1876 A. Trollope Prime Minister IV. x. 162 ‘You would not wish to live all your life in terror of seeing Arthur Fletcher?’ ‘Not all my life.’ ‘Take the plunge and it will be over.’
a1911 D. G. Phillips Susan Lenox (1917) I. xxi. 389 We've made the plunge. We'll go—the limit.
1915 W. Owen Let. 15 Jan. (1967) 316 If I could devote myself to training in Music or Painting, I would take the plunge, were I never to read a book more.
1988 A. Storr School of Genius ix. 156 He considered marrying on several occasions, but never took the plunge.
2001 Contact May 25/2 If you're..thinking of taking the plunge, take our advice and buy the phone with the biggest, backlit LCD you can afford.
b. slang (chiefly Australian). A rash or reckless bet. Cf. plunge v. 9.
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society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > betting > [noun] > type of bet
swoopstake1599
by-beta1627
levant1714
even money1732
play or pay bet1738
side bet1769
long shot1796
sweep1849
pay-or-play1853
sweepstake1861
pari-mutuel1868
to go a raker1869
flutter1874
skinner1874
by-wager1886
plunge1888
accumulator1889
saver1891
mutuel1893
quinella1902
parlay1904
Sydney or the bush1924
treble1924
daily double1930
all-up1933
round robin1944
double1951
twin double1960
perfecta1961
pool1963
lose bet1964
tiercé1964
Yankee bet1964
Yankee1967
nap1971
superfecta1971
tricast1972
triple1972
trixie1973
telebetting1974
trifecta1974
over-and-under1975
over-under1981
spread bet1981
1888 Sporting Times 21 July 1/3 Brusher enjoyed himself..especially after he'd had a quiet hour by himself getting his account out for Monday, and finding two plunges of a tenner a time that hadn't come off, but he'd quite forgotten.
1924 Truth (Sydney) 27 Apr. 6 Plunge, a big bet.
1972 J. S. Gunn in G. W. Turner Good Austral. Eng. iii. 54 Some punters bet on the nod but few are knockers even when they lose in going for a plunge or big lick.
1987 Fremantle (W. Austral.) Gaz. 10 Nov. 36/5 Lindsey had engineered a successful betting plunge which in racing lingo gave him some spare ‘ash-car’ (cash) to really start off his training venture.
2004 Illawarra Mercury (Austral.) (Nexis) 1 Apr. 20 We both felt bad for little Buttermilk after that so he got our sympathy bet with a $5 plunge right on his button nose.
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society > armed hostility > defence > defensive work(s) > earthwork or rampart > [noun] > parapet > parts of or connected with
talus1645
superior slope1686
bonnet1688
brisure1706
genouillere1802
crémaillère1828
crest1830
plonge1853
plunge1859
apron1918
1859 F. A. Griffiths Artillerist's Man. (1862) 260 The top [of the parapet] is formed with a slight declivity towards the country, which is called the superior slope, or plunge.
8. Mining and Geology. The angle that a fold axis or linear feature makes with the horizontal, measured in a vertical plane. Cf. pitch n.2 1b.
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the world > the earth > structure of the earth > structural features > fold or dip > [noun] > axis of fold system > arrangement of fold axes
syntaxis1904
plunge1913
1913 W. Lindgren Mineral Deposits xi. 142 The plunge..of an ore-body is the vertical angle between a horizontal plane and the line of maximum elongation of the body. In lenticular ore-bodies in metamorphic rocks which have undergone strong mechanical deformation, the plunge is an important factor, and often it is determined by the direction of the cleavage or schistosity.
1932 Bull. Amer. Assoc. Petroleum Geologists 16 209 The type of fold is an overturned anticline in which the plunge increases from a comparatively low degree until it becomes vertical and finally overturns.
1962 H. H. Read & J. Watson Introd. Geol. I. viii. 449 The plunge is measured in degrees from the horizontal in a vertical plane.., while the pitch is given by the angle between the fold-axis and the strike of the axial plane, measured in the axial plane.
1993 Jrnl. Petrol. 34 128 Some layers are isoclinally folded or boudinaged, the plunge of the fold hinges and boudin axes being approximately parallel to the plunge of folds in the surrounding crustal kinzigites.
Compounds
C1. † plunge-pole n. Obsolete a hollow piston rod in a pumping machine.
plunge basin n. Physical Geography a deep hollow or cavity excavated at the foot of a waterfall by the action of the falling water.
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the world > the earth > water > waterfall > [noun] > basin at foot of
plunge basin1902
1902 20th Rep. State Geologist (N.Y. State Mus.) 126 These lakes.. occupy cataract or plunge basins, similar to that which would exist at the foot of Niagara falls if the Niagara river were to be withdrawn.
1939 A. K. Lobeck Geomorphol. vi. 195 There are several other plunge basins along the course of this former stream.
1993 Rider 1 Feb. 54 The 300-foot cliff over which once thundered a waterfall..that left ripples 30 feet high and plunge basins 200 yards wide.
plunge bath n. a deep bath or pool in which a bather can be fully immersed; a bathe in such a bath or pool.
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the world > physical sensation > cleanness and dirtiness > cleaning > washing > washing oneself or body > [noun] > bathing > a bath > plunge-bath
plunging bath1796
plunge bath1827
plunge1857
1827 Times 18 Oct. 2/4 On the right of the last passage is another entrance to the plunge bath.
1832 J. Wilson in Blackwood's Edinb. Mag. July 122/1 A morning plunge-bath in the Black-pool.
1896 Pall Mall Mag. May 37 Taking headers into the large plunge bath there [i.e. at Marylebone Gardens].
1910 Reno (Nevada) Evening Gaz. 8 Dec. 7/1 A young man..committed suicide in the plunge bath at the Hot Springs.
2002 Oxoniensia 66 300 The recovery of..the fragment of opus signinum lining most likely derived from a feature such as a plunge bath.
plunge bed n. a flower bed of peat or other moisture-retaining material, in which plants in pots can be sunk.
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the world > food and drink > farming > gardening > garden > division or part of garden > [noun] > bed or plot > plunge bed
plunge bed1871
plunge1973
1871 S. Hibberd Amateur's Flower Garden xiii. 242 The question now is about the formation of the plunge beds.
1935 A. G. L. Hellyer Pract. Gardening xxx. 193 (caption) A useful plunge bed for pot plants.
1991 Pract. Gardening Dec. 46/3 The general range of alpines may also need sand-filled plunge beds to keep the roots moist and cool in summer.
plunge board n. now rare a diving board.
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1905 Atlanta Constit. 19 May 16/5 (advt.) I have built..a ‘swimmin' hole’... It has plunge boards. Logs to crawl upon, barrels and swings to play with, [etc.].
1928 Cook County (Illinois) Herald 7 Aug. 2/3 Plunge boards surround the deep water end.
plunge churn n. a simple form of churn consisting of an upright wooden cask in which a plunger is worked up and down.
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the world > food and drink > food > food manufacture and preparation > preparation of dairy produce > [noun] > churning butter > churn
churnc1000
kirn1338
butter churn1577
churning-tub1580
barrel-churn1741
plunge churn1793
box churn1810
table churn1828
dash-churn1865
churner1888
1793 Ann. Agric. 21 621 A gentlewoman in the vicinity of Edinburgh..has always been used to Churn..in a plunge Churn.
1844 H. Stephens Bk. of Farm III. 899 The old~fashioned upright hand plunge-churn is now confined chiefly to the use of small farmers and cottars.
1900 A. McIlroy By Lone Craig-linnie Burn 17 Her duties seldom entailing anything more difficult than a two hours' spell at the plunge-churn.
1990 P. Basing Trades & Crafts Medieval MSS i. 39 A woman is working in her dairy, using a tall plunge churn to make butter.
plunge cut n. and adj. Engineering (a) n. a cut made by plunge grinding; also attributive, esp. in plunge-cut grinding; (b) adj. cut by this method.
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society > occupation and work > industry > manufacturing processes > [noun] > processing > types of cutting > types of cut
up-cut1934
plunge cut1935
1935 O. W. Boston Engin. Shop Pract. II. v. 268 An automatic in-feed mechanism..is contained in the saddle... This is used for plunge cuts and is independent of the traverse in-feed mechanism.
1941 F. D. Jones Engin. Encycl. II. 971 Plunge-cut grinding, this term has been applied to grinding which is done by directly feeding into the work a wheel, the face of which is sufficiently wide to cover the entire surface being ground.
1956 E. Molloy Automobile Engineer's Ref. Bk. iii. 210 Only one head is used at the next station. This..is a plunge-cut horizontal milling head for milling the bearing-retaining slots.
2000 Metalworking Production (Nexis) 20 Sept. 85 The machine is designed for throughfeed and plunge-cut grinding, using both conventional and CBN grinding wheels.
plunge cutting n. Engineering = plunge grinding n.
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society > occupation and work > industry > manufacturing processes > [noun] > processing > types of cutting
straddle milling1922
plunge cutting1950
1950 Lima (Ohio) News 21 Nov. 19/7 (advt.) Round end guide plate permits plunge cutting.
1993 Collins Compl. DIY Man. (new ed.) xi. 481.4 The simplest way to cut a large hole in a panel is first to drill a starter hole into which you can insert the jigsaw blade, but you can start by ‘plunge cutting’.
plunge grinding n. Engineering grinding in which the item being ground makes no transverse motion across the grinding wheel.
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society > occupation and work > industry > manufacturing processes > [noun] > processing > grinding
grinding1340
rough grinding1748
plough grinding1892
plunge grinding1935
1935 O. W. Boston Engin. Shop Pract. II. v. 265 When the wheel face is as wide as the length of the surface being ground or when it is impracticable to traverse the work, the wheel may be fed in with no traverse of the wheel or work. This is called plunge grinding.
1958 Times Rev. Industry May 34/3 The workpiece is then released, so that it can be rotated by means of the control wheel while plunge-grinding is being carried out.
2001 Amer. Machinist (Nexis) 1 May 71 The first is basically an I.D. grinder, called the Uranos M, and the other is a plunge-grinding machine named Kronos M.
plunge-line adj. = plunge-necked adj.
ΚΠ
1949 Berkshire County Eagle (Pittsfield, Mass.) 6 July (advt.) The perfect plunge-line brassiere with full, wonderful support.
1995 Fiddlehead (Nexis) Sept. 188 He studies her plunge-line blouse and indulges in fantasies.
plunge neck n. and adj. (a) n. a very low-cut neckline on a woman's garment; (b) adj.(usually with hyphen) = plunge-necked adj.
ΚΠ
1951 Sunday Times 28 Oct. 11/3 Some [spencers], sleeveless and with a plunge neck, give never a sign of their comforting presence beneath cocktail dresses and chiffon blouses.
1996 Daily Tel. 4 Nov. 17/5 Isaac Mizrahi followed the party line, piling jewels and beads on to plunge-neck T-shirts.
plunge-necked adj. (of a garment) having a plunging neckline.
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the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > [adjective] > having specific parts > neckline
decolouredc1430
high1590
low-cuta1600
low1818
low-necked1830
low-neck1858
décolleté1884
semi-high1905
boat-shaped1921
turtle-necked1931
crew neck1940
polo-collared1946
polo-necked1948
plunge-line1949
plunge-necked1949
crew-necked1950
plunge neck1951
scoop-necked1955
bateau-necked1959
1949 N.Y. Times 17 Apr. 71 (advt.) A sweet treat from its plunge necked, buttoned bodice to its widely cuffed pockets and sleeves.
1959 Woman's Own 20 June 17/4 She was wearing a plunge-necked dress of some white material.
2003 Daily Star (Nexis) 12 June 12 Looking radiant in a black plunge-necked fitting satin dress she'd bought in Los Angeles.
plunge neckline n. and adj. = plunge neck n. and adj.
ΘΚΠ
the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > parts of clothing > [noun] > covering or next to neck > neck-line > types of
décolletage1894
décolletée1907
V-neck1910
boat neckline1921
boat neck1922
bateau line1923
halter neck(line)1935
jewel neckline1935
crew neckline1939
jewel neck1940
plunging neckline1940
plunge neckline1941
scoop neck1953
scooped neckline1956
sabrina neckline1959
sweetheart neck1965
1941 Hopewell (New Jersey) Herald 20 Aug. 2/3 Frilly white blouses or plunge neckline white shirts.
1959 ‘O. Mills’ Stairway to Murder v. 50 Its plunge neckline was so low that Geoff was almost driven for safety to the handwoven wool and Fair Isle cardigan.
2003 Independent (Nexis) 8 July 15 The enclosure was full of women with plunge necklines, bare midriffs and skirts slashed to the thigh.
plunge net n. a type of fishing net intended to be plunged in the water.
ΚΠ
1883 F. Day Indian Fish 64 Choba.—A plunge-net, used chiefly in shallow water to capture fish which lay half-concealed in the mud. From Poona.
1991 C. F. Taylor Native Americans 131 (caption) Little Ike, a Karok man, fishing for salmon with a plunge net from a fishing platform among the rocks.
ΚΠ
1857 Hist., Gazetteer, & Dir. County Derby 489 This engine had a cylinder 50 inches diameter, single acting..plunge pole in the pit.
plunge pool n. (a) a cold-water pool, esp. used to cool and invigorate the body after a hot bath, sauna, etc.; (b) Physical Geography a plunge basin; (also) the water in a plunge basin.
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the world > the earth > water > lake > pool > [noun] > other types
weelc897
lowa1200
sougha1300
plungec1450
Sabbatical pool1613
slough1714
tinaja1835
rock pool1836
pokelogan1848
salmon pool1866
plunge pool1870
Strandbad1939
solar pool1960
the world > physical sensation > cleanness and dirtiness > cleaning > washing > washing oneself or body > [noun] > bathing > vessel for bathing in > types of
furo1615
semicupium1634
bidet1766
hip bath1806
slipper-bath1829
sitz bath1842
saucer bath1860
Roman tub1911
ofuro1934
bathinette1936
Jacuzzi1966
hot tub1973
plunge pool1973
1870 J. H. Beadle Life in Utah 445 The water is conveyed in pipes to a regular bathing house on one side, and to a plunge pool on the other.
1917 Sci. Monthly Dec. 559 Plunge pools are potholes, in general, of large size, occurring at the foot of a vertical or nearly vertical waterfall... In most plunge pools the water is much deeper than it is in the stream channel on their downstream side.
1973 Times 21 Nov. 18/8 There is a plunge pool with two massage jets.
1995 High Country News 4 Sept. 11/3 Fleischer and Ellis died trying to force their way past waterfalls and plunge pools.
2003 ITC Classics Brochure Jan.–Nov. 9/2 Personally I'd choose a beach-front villa with a plunge pool so I could cool off whenever I felt like it.
plunge router n. chiefly Woodworking a router mounted on a spring-loaded base, allowing the bit to be lowered easily and safely into the work piece; cf. router n.5 2b.
ΚΠ
1978 N.Y. Times 29 Mar. b15/2 (advt.) Stanley plunge router; very slightly used.
2002 Woodworker's Jrnl. June 82 (caption) The KCJig attaches to the router in place of the router plate, where it stabilizes hand-held plunge routers and makes freehand cuts easy.
C2. attributive. Designating a bra or similar garment in which the cups have been cut so as to accentuate the cleavage by forming a deep V-shape around it. Also of a woman's garment generally: having a plunging neckline.
ΚΠ
1949 Dixon (Illinois) Evening Tel. 8 June 4/4 Peggy Cummins, the censors willing, will wear one of those new ‘Low 'n' Behold’ deep plunge bras.
1965 Reno (Nevada) Evening Gaz. 23 Sept. 12/6 (advt.) Top your bell-bottoms with a long-sleeved plunge blouse that sports a pirate's tie-front.
2000 Ralph 7 July 113 (caption) Abigail wears Morrissey plunge top, $149.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2006; most recently modified version published online June 2022).
plungev.
/plʌn(d)ʒ/, U.S. /pləndʒ/α. Middle English plange, Middle English plaunge, Middle English plownge, Middle English plumge, Middle English plungy (south-western), Middle English–1500s (1700s Sc.) plounge, Middle English–1600s plonge, Middle English– plunge, 1500s plong, 1500s–1600s plundge, 1800s ploonge (Scottish).
β. Middle English plonche, Middle English plounch, Middle English plunche; N.E.D. (1907) also records a form late Middle English plunch.
I. Physical uses.
1. † d. transitive. To bring or pump up by plunging. Obsolete. rare.
a. transitive. To thrust, throw, or drop into or in a liquid, penetrable substance, deep pit, container, etc.; to immerse, to submerge.Formerly also spec. (esp. in the context of religious controversy): †to baptize by immersion (obsolete).
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > liquid > condition of being or making wet > action or process of immersing or dipping > immerse or dip [verb (transitive)]
bebatheOE
dipc1000
plungec1380
wash1398
bathec1400
embathe1593
taint1594
immerse1685
the world > space > place > placing or fact of being placed in (a) position > insertion or putting in > insert or put in [verb (transitive)] > in a surrounding medium
plungec1380
bathec1386
bay1590
immerse1695
steep1708
the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > downward motion > causing to come or go down > cause to come or go down [verb (transitive)] > plunge
plungec1380
society > faith > worship > sacrament > baptism > kinds of baptism > by immersion > perform immersion [verb (transitive)]
depec960
dipc975
plungec1380
α.
β. c1435 J. Lydgate St. George (Bodl.) in Englische Studien (1910–11) 43 20 (MED) In a vessel boylyng ful of lede The holy martir was plunched [v.r. e-plounged] doun.1447 O. Bokenham Lives of Saints (Arun.) (1938) 3048 Of cursyd custum plounchyd in þe myre.a1450 (?1409) St. Patrick's Purgatory (Royal) 71 Fendes..takyng þilk bisshop..and plunchyng him in þat blak water.c1380 Sir Ferumbras (1879) 1085 (MED) Þe prelat..plungede him sone þer-on; þan was cristned sir Firumbras.
c1425 J. Lydgate Troyyes Bk. (Augustus A.iv) ii. 4469 (MED) Many sturdy wawe..fille doun & swappid in þe frount Evene of þe schip & ploungid it ful lowe.
1483 W. Caxton tr. J. de Voragine Golden Legende 431/1 Other there wende that the shyppe shold haue broken and be plonged in the see.
1542 A. Borde Compend. Regyment Helth xxxix. sig. N.iiv To plounge the eyes in colde water in the morenyng.
1569 J. Sanford tr. H. C. Agrippa Of Vanitie Artes & Sci. 15 The riuer Mosa..plungeth him selfe, not in the ocean, but in the Rhene.
1590 E. Spenser Faerie Queene ii. xii. sig. Aa7v Sometimes the one would lift the other quight Aboue the waters, and then downe againe Her plong.
a1617 S. Hieron Penance for Sinne in Wks. (1620) II. 371 If thou be not mercifull vnto me, I shall eternally be plundged into the nethermost hell.
1650 T. Bakewell Dr. Chamberlain Visited 16 I have proved, that they came into the house of Cornelius: but a Conclave of plunging Doctors cannot shew me that they went out to be plunged.
1664 J. Evelyn Sylva vii. 24 Let the Nuts be first spread to sweat;..a Moneth being past, plunge them in Water, reject the Swimmers.
1700 ‘Trepidantium Malleus’ Duckers Duck'd 6 If God will have Mercy and not Sacrifice, then it is Unlawful to Plunge Persons tender, and labouring with many Distempers.
1711 J. Addison Spectator No. 94. ¶8 The holy Man bid him plunge his Head into the Water.
1774 O. Goldsmith Hist. Earth VI. 208 They renew their attacks, till the whale begins to be quite enfeebled,..when they plunge their longer spears into various parts of its body.
1816 J. Scott Paris Revisited vi. 130 The soldier..was about to plunge his bayonet into the breast of the unfortunate Frenchman.
1878 T. H. Huxley Physiography (ed. 2) 77 You have only to plunge a lighted taper into it.
1925 V. Woolf Mrs. Dalloway 58 Her evening dresses hung in the cupboard. Clarissa, plunging her hand into the softness, gently detached the green dress.
1958 J. E. Morton Molluscs v. 95 The larger sand-burrowing Mesogastropoda..generally live on echinoids and bivalves..plunging the proboscis into the soft parts.
1995 L. Garrett Coming Plague (new ed.) xvi. 564 Colwell and her colleagues discovered that the El Tor strain was capable of shrinking itself 300-fold when plunged suddenly into cold salt water.
b. intransitive. To throw or hurl oneself into water or the like; to dive; to fall abruptly and involuntarily, esp. from a great height, into a depth; to descend. Also: to enter suddenly into or pass rapidly through something which surrounds one completely, as a forest, a crowd, etc. Usually with in, into, through.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > downward motion > move downwards [verb (intransitive)] > plunge
plungec1380
the world > action or operation > doing > activity or occupation > occupy or engage (a person) [verb (transitive)] > have to do with or be involved in or with > get involved in
impc1000
to have a finger in1583
plunge1697
mess1851
α.
β. a1500 (?a1425) tr. Secreta Secret. (Lamb.) 96 Þe sawle shall plunche into þe depnes of helle.c1380 Sir Ferumbras (1879) 5784 How þat þys water ys arayed, þat y schal plungy on.
?c1450 tr. Bk. Knight of La Tour Landry (1906) 112 (MED) A yonge childe..happed to plonge and to fall in a depe pitte withinne the Ryuer.
a1470 T. Malory Morte Darthur (Winch. Coll.) 329 Many tymes his horse and he plunged over their hedys in depe myres.
1489 (a1380) J. Barbour Bruce (Adv.) ii. 358 For the best and the worthiest..Plungyt in the stalwart stour And rowtis ruyd about thaim dang.
a1500 (?c1450) Merlin 219 (MED) Thei plonged in a-monge hem so depe, and neuer thei stynted til thei come to the baner of Cleodalis.
1589 J. Sparke in R. Hakluyt Princ. Navigations iii. 535 [The alligator] plunged into the water, making a streame like the way of a boate.
1596 T. Nashe Haue with you to Saffron-Walden Ep. Ded. sig. A3 v Like a horse plunging through the myre in the deep of winter.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Julius Caesar (1623) i. ii. 107 Accoutred as I was, I plunged in, And bad him follow. View more context for this quotation
1697 J. Dryden tr. Virgil Pastorals viii, in tr. Virgil Wks. 38 From yon high Cliff I plunge into the Main.
1735 W. Somervile Chace i. 181 They plunge into the Stream, There lave their reeking Sides.
1777 W. Robertson Hist. Amer. (1778) II. v. 119 Horsemen and infantry plunged in promiscuously.
1790 W. Buchan Domest. Med. (ed. 11) lv. 633 It is now fashionable for persons of all ranks to plunge into the sea, and drink the mineral waters.
1816 M. Holford Margaret of Anjou iii. 69 Plunging headlong mid the crowd, With thundering shout he cried aloud.
1841 C. Dickens Barnaby Rudge lix. 277 He plunged into the thickest portion of the little wood.
1894 R. Kipling Jungle Bk. 116 They headed for a cliff by the shore, a cliff that ran down into deep water, and plunged into a dark hole at the foot of it.
1911 J. Muir My First Summer in Sierra 151 An adventurer in the foremost rank plunged in and swam bravely to the farther shore.
1973 C. Bonington Next Horizon xii. 183 I plunged through the deep powder snow.
1992 N.Y. Times Mag. 28 June 34/3 A bus and van from a church camp plunged into the Guadalupe River.
c. transitive. poetic. To plunge into or through; to penetrate (water, ground, etc.) by plunging, diving, or digging. Now rare.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > going or coming in > go or come into [verb (transitive)] > penetrate > by plunging, diving, or dipping
plunge1488
1488 (c1478) Hary Actis & Deidis Schir William Wallace (Adv.) (1968–9) vii. l. 1211 Vii thousand large at-anys flottryt in Forth, Plungyt the depe and drownd with-out mercye.
?1614 W. Drummond Sonnet: Vaunt not in Poems Vaunt not, rich Pearle, red Corrall which doe stirre A fond desire in Fooles to plunge your Ground.
1724 A. Ramsay Health 313 He'll plunge the deep, And with expanded arms the billows sweep.
1777 Songs & Chorusses Tempest 4 I'll climb the mountains, plunge the deep [1776 Airs, Duets, &c. plunge i' th' Deep], I like mortals, never sleep.
1902 E. H. Hickey Our Lady of May xii. 29 Him they know, Him who plunged the deepest depths from highest height.
1914 E. B. Bayly Author of Spanish Brothers Pref. p. v Inwardly, she had to ‘climb the mountains, plunge the deep’.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > upward movement > raising > make to go up or cause to rise [verb (transitive)] > cast or throw up
upcastc1386
upbraida1525
toss1526
to cast up1557
plunge1567
uphurl1582
to toss up1588
upthrowc1614
sky1802
uptoss1828
1567 in G. Turberville Epitaphs f. 78v Plunge vp a thousande sighes, for griefe your trickling teares distill.
2. † b. transitive. Of a horse: to throw or unseat by plunging. Obsolete.
a. intransitive. To make a sudden or violent movement forward , esp. with a diving action; spec. (of a horse) to make such a movement with the head and neck lowered; (of a ship) to pitch; (of the chest) to heave.In quot. 1607 transitive (reflexive): †(of a horse) to bring itself into a specified state by plunging (obsolete).
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > downward motion > descend [verb (transitive)] > cause condition by plunging
plunge?1507
the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > downward motion > move downwards [verb (intransitive)] > plunge > plunge forward
plunge?1507
pitch1850
?1507 [implied in: W. Dunbar Tua Mariit Wemen (Rouen) in Poems (1998) I. 50 The cappill..Sa curtasly the cart drawis and kennis na plungeing. (at plunging n. 2)].
1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 661/2 I plunge, as a horse doth, je plonge.
c1550 Clariodus (1830) i. 735 The bairdit steidis plunging on the greine.
1569 S. Batman tr. O. de la Marche Trauayled Pylgrime sig. Hiij Then leapt my horse and plunged sore.
1607 G. Markham Cavelarice ii. 95 They will after they haue plunged themselues wearie, fall downe.
a1641 T. Heywood & W. Rowley Fortune by Land & Sea iii. i, in Wks. (1874) VI. 392 Our teems..plunge in pain.
1735 W. Somervile Chace iii. 334 Wounded, he rears aloft, And plunging, from his Back the Rider hurls Precipitant.
1796 J. Hunter Compl. Dict. Farriery & Horsemanship Brouiller, is when a horse on being put to any manage, plunges, traverses, and appears in disorder.
1801 M. Edgeworth Forester in Moral Tales I. 169 He taught Sawney to rear and plunge, whenever his legs were touched by the broom.
1817 Sporting Mag. 50 17 Dick kept plunging with his favourite right-handed hits.
1836 F. Marryat Mr. Midshipman Easy II. x. 291 The frigate..no longer jerked and plunged as before.
1898 T. C. Allbutt et al. Syst. Med. V. 287 The chest may plunge, but there is no expansion of the thoracic cavity.
1906 J. London White Fang v. iv. 309 The horse became frightened and backed and plunged away.
1932 W. Faulkner Light in August xx. 459 You can feel, hear in the darkness horses pulled short up, plunging.
1959 ‘J. Winton’ We joined Navy ix. 152 The boats at the booms rose and plunged with the send of the sea until it became difficult for the crews to man them.
1990 New Age Oct. 43/2 The strong leaves of the box-elder tree, Plunging in the wind.
1990 D. Walcott Omeros vi. 35 Helen heard its hooves drumming through her bare feet, and turned, as the unreined horse plunged with its dolphining neck, the wheezing halves of its chest distended by the ruffling nostrils like a bellows.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > mammals > group Ungulata (hoofed) > family Equidae (general equines) > habits and actions of horse > [verb (transitive)] > kick or throw (a person) out or off of
plunge1603
wincha1626
fling1767
1603 R. Knolles Gen. Hist. Turkes 66 At the farther side of the riuer [he] was so plunged by his horse, at his landing, that he was taken vp for dead.
3. Technical uses.† b. intransitive. Of artillery: to fire downwards from an elevated position. Cf. plunging adj. 3. Obsolete.
a. transitive. To sink (a pot containing a plant, or a plant in a pot) in the ground.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > farming > gardening > management of plants > [verb (transitive)] > pot > sink pot in earth
plunge1679
1679 J. Evelyn Sylva (ed. 3) ii. 13 Plunge it [sc. the branch] half a foot under good mould.
1786 J. Abercrombie Gardeners Daily Assistant 123 Sow orange and lemon kernels—of ripe or rotten fruit, in pots, and plunged in a hot bed to raise stock for budding.
1824 J. C. Loudon Green-house Compan. i. 132 Chrysanthemum indicum might be introduced when in bloom, and plunged in the borders as if growing there.
1851 Beck's Florist 87 I would recommend plunging the pots, but be sure you have a dry bottom.
1869 P. Henderson Pract. Floricult. xxix. 200 These pots should be planted, or, as we term it, ‘plunged’ to the rim, or level with the surface.
1935 A. G. L. Hellyer Pract. Gardening xxix. 183 It is an excellent plan to plunge the pots to their rims in a bed of ashes to reduce the necessity for frequent watering.
1974 S. Clapham Greenhouse Bk. xviii. 194 To get a good set of berries, the plants should be plunged to the pot rim outside.
1994 Newsday (Nexis) 18 June b8 Cuttings usually take about two months to root well, and then can be potted up and be plunged, pots and all, into the garden soil.
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > military equipment > operation and use of weapons > action of propelling missile > discharge of firearms > discharge firearms [verb (intransitive)] > types of firing
plunge1761
steal1794
snipe1832
to fire into the brown (of them)1845
pot1854
pot-shoot1867
group1911
pot-shot1913
1761 J. Call in R. O. Cambridge Acct. War in India 173 Two guns..were intended to plunge into the royal bastion.
1816 W. Scott Paul's Lett. to Kinsfolk 166 Our artillery on the ridge were brought to plunge into it.
4. intransitive. To move or travel forth, on, etc., rapidly, abruptly, or recklessly; to move with a rush or sudden impulse into or out of; to hurtle, career. Also figurative.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > going or coming in > go or come in [verb (intransitive)] > impetuously
plunge1726
the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > going or coming out > go or come out [verb (intransitive)] > suddenly
springeOE
outleaplOE
outspring?a1200
loukc1275
start?1316
bursta1325
to start outa1382
out-braida1400
sprentc1400
thringa1500
flush1548
flunge1582
protrude1626
explode1840
flounce1865
plunge1891
dartle1893
1726 W. Broome in A. Pope et al. tr. Homer Odyssey V. xxiii. 256 He views the strand, And plunging forth with transport grasps the land.
1806 T. Jefferson Let. 5 July in Writings (1984) 1165 If the executive is to keep all other information to himself, and the House to plunge on in the dark, it becomes a government of chance and not of design.
1834 L. Ritchie Wanderings by Seine 110 We..plunged into the high road leading to Duclair.
1885 Manch. Examiner 22 Jan. 5/2 Under a well-organised fire from the works, the Arabs plunged forth upon the square.
1891 C. Graves Field of Tares iv. vi. 241 The Norwich Express, plunging out of Liverpool Street Station.
a1902 F. Norris Pit (1903) x. 400 She had committed herself now; recklessly she plunged on.
1954 Times Lit. Suppl. 12 Nov. 714/4 As the Age of Reason plunged towards revolution, Juvenal was carried like a banner in the van of the attack.
1990 A. Stevens On Jung ii. 18 The dreamer might see a train, carrying him home, plunging in and out of a series of tunnels.
2004 Derby Evening Tel. (Nexis) 16 Mar. 6 If the Germans had captured crossings over the Trent, they could have plunged in any direction.
5. intransitive. To slope abruptly or steeply downward; to dip suddenly; (Geology) (of a fold) to have an axis that slopes or dips downwards, whether at a large or a small angle; (of an axis) to slope or dip downwards.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the earth > structure of the earth > structural features > fold or dip > [verb (intransitive)] > plunge
plunge1842
society > travel > means of travel > route or way > way, path, or track > go or lead (of a road or path) [verb (intransitive)] > go downwards > suddenly or steeply
delve1848
plunge1882
1842 C. Mathews Career Puffer Hopkins xix. 149 A sudden turn brought her where the road plunged down with a swift declivity at her feet.
1854 R. I. Murchison Siluria ii. 31 They are seen to fold over and plunge to the east-south-east.
1882 B. Harte Flip, & Found at Blazing Star 9 The stage road that plunges from the terrace..into the valley below.
1932 Bull. Amer. Assoc. Petroleum Geologists 16 210 At this time all of the folds plunged consistently eastward at a low angle.
1942 M. P. Billings Struct. Geol. iii. 46 In the southwest corner, the anticline plunges 15 degrees to the southwest.
1965 A. Holmes Princ. Physical Geol. (rev. ed.) ix. 210 The axes of folds are not infrequently found to be tilted instead of horizontal; the folds are then said to pitch or plunge.
1989 Holiday Which? Jan. 51/1 From the corniche the road plunges past modern houses to a steep deep bay and old fishing harbour.
6. transitive. To depress (a plunger or similar switch). Also intransitive. Hence transitive (Railways): to release (points or a signal) by doing this.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > rail travel > [verb (transitive)] > direct or manage a railway engine > specific operations
work1835
shunt1845
flag1856
slip1866
whistle1869
sidetrack1872
signal1888
switch1891
target1893
highball1905
plunge1923
1923 [implied in: J. F. Gairns Railways for All xviii. 179 Sykes' ‘Lock and Block’ instruments..are operated by pressing a knob or plunger, hence the term ‘plunging’ used to describe their working by the signalmen. (at plunging n. 4)].
1926 C. J. Allen Iron Road xii. 180 Then the signalman in the next box cannot ‘plunge’ on his instrument until he has put his own starting signal lever back to danger in the lever frame behind the last preceding train.
1940 Railway Signalling & Communications iii. 93 All facing points unprotected by track circuit must be provided with a locking bar in addition to the plunger, and the points must be plunged before the signal reading over them can be cleared.
1947 Times Recorder (Zanesville, Ohio) 9 Sept. 1 b/7 Reese collapsed immediately after plunging the detonator.
1992 Los Angeles Times (Nexis) 27 Dec. j2/1 Boris prepares to plunge the plunger that will blast Colorado Boulevard to smithereens.
7. intransitive. Of a commodity, price, currency, etc.: to drop sharply in value or amount.
ΚΠ
1870 Titusville (Pa.) Morning Herald 13 July The market plunged downward under heavy sales and frantic operators, and did not stop till 112 was reached.
1935 Times 7 May 26/2 While commodity prices plunged headlong coal prices had remained more steady over a period of four years than they had ever remained for 12 months at any time in the past.
1977 Time 15 Aug. 12/3 Inflation was raging (at 22%), the lira was plunging, and the country was sustained at the brink only by massive loans from abroad.
2001 Financial Times 27 Jan. (Personal Finance Q. Review) 3/3 The Nasdaq Index, representing arguably the world's most important stock market, plunged by 33 per cent.
II. Extended uses.
8. † b. transitive. To cast into difficulty, misfortune, confusion, etc.; to overwhelm, overpower, oppress; (also) to confound, puzzle. Usually in passive (frequently with with). Obsolete.
a. transitive. To precipitate or immerse into or in a particular condition, state of affairs, matter, sphere of action, etc.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > subjection > obedience > compulsion > compel [verb (transitive)] > to or into an action or state
needeOE
driveOE
strainc1374
halec1400
plunge?c1400
thrust14..
pulla1425
put1425
compel1541
violent?1551
forcec1592
necessitate1629
oblige1632
dragoon1689
press1733
coercea1853
thirl1871
steamroller1959
arm-twist1964
the world > action or operation > doing > activity or occupation > occupy or engage (a person) [verb (transitive)] > have to do with or be involved in or with > involve in something > deeply
plunge?c1400
deepa1542
immerge1611
merge1636
immerse1664
α.
β. c1430 Compleynt in J. Schick Lydgate's Temple of Glas (1891) App. 64 (MED) Fortune..Now canst thow sette men aloft, And now hem plonchyn ful vnsoft Doun from hegh felycyte.1447 O. Bokenham Lives of Saints (Arun.) (1938) 8882 (MED) Þei in peyn be plounchyd lowe.?c1400 (c1380) G. Chaucer tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. (BL Add. 10340) (1868) iii. pr. ii. 1784 Many folke..wenen þat it be ryȝt blisful to ploungen hem in uoluptuous delit [L. voluptate diffluere, Fr. estre plongés en delices].
c1450 (?c1408) J. Lydgate Reson & Sensuallyte (1901) 6762 Y-plonged in ful gret distresse.
a1500 in R. H. Robbins Secular Lyrics 14th & 15th Cent. (1952) 151 (MED) My hert ys so plungyt yn greffe ther may no bran my balyes no byne.
a1522 G. Douglas tr. Virgil Æneid (1960) xi. vii. 130 May we se..Thys cite haly plungit in distres.
1567 in J. Cranstoun Satirical Poems Reformation (1891) I. iv. 51 Quhomlit in sorow and plungeit in cair.
1641 J. Milton Of Prelatical Episc. 4 The Councels themselves were fouly corrupted with ungodly Prelatisme, and..plung'd into worldly ambition.
1686 tr. J. Chardin Coronation Solyman 87 in Trav. Persia The young Prince having plundg'd himself into the excesses of Wine and Women.
1713 G. Berkeley Hylas & Philonous iii. 106 And so you are plunged into the deepest and most deplorable scepticism.
1796 H. Hunter tr. J.-H. B. de Saint-Pierre Stud. Nature (1799) III. 181 Violent passions always plunge the soul into contrary extremes.
1838 C. Thirlwall Hist. Greece (new ed.) III. xxii. 227 The commotion, which..agitated Syracuse, and threatened to plunge it into a civil war.
1875 B. Jowett in tr. Plato Dialogues (ed. 2) IV. 373 We are plunged at once into philosophical discussions.
1918 Punch 27 Mar. 206/2 If he [sc. our butcher] were removed we should be plunged into absolute meatlessness.
1995 Empire Nov. 20/1 The entire household is plunged into a web of mystery and mayhem.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > difficulty > of difficulty: beset (a person) [verb (transitive)] > put (a person) in difficulty > reduce to straits
enstraita1500
plungea1513
to put or drive to a (or the) shift or shifts1553
to put (one) to (upon) his trump or trumps1559
to drive (a person) near1594
to put, drive, reduce, etc. to the last shiftsa1604
to be hard (also sorely, etc.) put to ita1616
press1672
pinch1693
push1761
a1513 H. Bradshaw Lyfe St. Werburge (1521) i. ix. sig. c.viv Plonget with sorowe, syghynge day and nyght.
?a1525 (c1450) Christ's Burial & Resurrection i. 462 in F. J. Furnivall Digby Plays (1896) 187 This womans harte is plungid with payn.
1600 Abp. G. Abbot Expos. Prophet Ionah ix. 191 What is all this to plunge his abilitie, who can do euerie thing.
1643 Sir T. Browne Religio Medici (authorized ed.) i. §21 [He] was so plunged and gravelled with three lines of Seneca, that all our Antidotes..could not expel the poyson of his errour. View more context for this quotation
a1659 F. Osborne Let. in Misc. Wks. (1722) I. 10 Your unfortunate Friend is more plunged to get out of a Hole, than he that lay in the Saw-pit.
1681 T. A. Religio Clerici 188 I am more and more plunged and puzled in this point.
1756 Monitor No. 40. I. 393 In a short time, by small accidents and unlikely instruments, he was more plunged and embroiled than ever.
c. intransitive. To enter fully or wholeheartedly into into a condition, state of affairs, etc.; to commit oneself to a course of action; to involve oneself deeply in.
ΚΠ
a1555 J. Philpot tr. C. S. Curione Def. Authority Christ's Church in R. Eden Exam. & Writings J. Philpot (1842) (modernized text) 334 It is possible some part of the Church for a time to be deceived when..they have a zeal of the truth,..yea, very then when they err, and plunge into any vice or sin.
1600 Abp. G. Abbot Expos. Prophet Ionah ii. 27 Without Gods grace we very soone plunge into all maner of sin.
1631 R. Bolton Instr. for Right Comforting Afflicted Consciences 442 I have been so freshly stung with their guilt, that I will rather be pull'd in peeces with wild horses, then plunge againe into carnall pleasures.
a1694 J. Tillotson Wks. (1820) I. 484 He could find no other way to conceal his adultery, but to plunge into the guilt of a murther.
1714 J. Addison Cato i. i Bid me for honour plunge into a war Of thickest foes.
1771 E. Burke Corr. (1844) I. 252 The character of their party is to be very ready to plunge into difficult business.
1814 J. Austen Mansfield Park III. xvi. 313 Poor Maria, in sacrificing such a situation, plunging into such difficulties, under the idea of being really loved by a man who long ago had made his indifference clear. View more context for this quotation
1875 B. Jowett in tr. Plato Dialogues (ed. 2) V. 5 We plunge abruptly into the subject of the dialogue.
1939 Fortune Oct. 137/3 It seemed a long jump from dynamos and motors, but we had the plant and the plastics, so we plunged into the new field.
1990 A. Toffler Powershift i. i. 4 The Soviet Union itself plunged into a period of near chaotic change.
9. colloquial.
a. intransitive. To spend money recklessly; to run into debt; to speculate or gamble large sums.
ΘΚΠ
society > trade and finance > management of money > expenditure > waste of money or extravagance > spend money wastefully or extravagantly [verb (intransitive)]
to lay on load?1562
lavish1567
to bring one's noble to ninepence1568
to lay it ona1593
overspend1857
plunge1876
splash1934
splurge1934
society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > betting > bet [verb (intransitive)] > recklessly
plunge1876
society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > betting > bet [verb (intransitive)] > type of betting
run or throw a levant1714
levant1797
to pound it1819
field1860
to go for the gloves1861
to buy money1906
plunge1939
to bet like the Watsons1949
(to bet (etc.)) on the nose1951
1876 W. Besant & J. Rice Golden Butterfly III. viii. 155 They plunged as regards hansoms, paying whatever was asked with an airy prodigality.
1883 M. E. Braddon Phantom Fortune xliv She has been plunging rather deeply.
1939 ‘F. O'Brien’ At Swim-Two-Birds 50 Do not hesitate to plunge to your limit on Grandchild on Friday and remit immediately after the race.
1986 Sunday Mail (Queensland) (Nexis) 19 Jan. You don't lose much because you never plunge heavily until you have won casino money to play with.
b. transitive. To bet or speculate (a sum of money).
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > betting > bet on [verb (transitive)] > bet (money, etc.)
laya1300
wed1362
to lay downc1430
setc1460
jeopardc1470
wage1484
holda1500
pary?a1505
to stake down1565
stake1591
gagec1598
bet?a1600
go1607
wagera1616
abet1617
impone1702
sport1706
stand1795
gamble1813
parlay1828
ante1846
to put on1890
plunge1919
1919 J. Joyce Ulysses xii. [Cyclops] in Little Rev. Dec. 60 Boylan plunged two quid on my tip Sceptre for himself and a lady friend.
1952 Times-Picayune (New Orleans) 6 May 1/6 A mild-mannered bank vice-president..was accused..of embezzling about $400,000 to plunge on the stock market.
1994 Amer. Spectator Aug. 41/1 She had plunged $1000 on the notoriously choppy futures market.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2006; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.c1450v.c1380- free-spoken
- free-spokenness
- free-spool
- free-spooling
- free-standing
- free-styled
- free-swimming
- free-tailed
- free-thinker
- free-thinking
- free-thought
- free-throw circle
- free-throw lane
- free-throw line
- free-to-air
- free-tongued
- free-trader
- free-trading
- free-tradist
- free-verser
- free-warder
- free-wheel
- free-wheeled
- free-wheeler
- free-wheeling