Plunging

How to spell plunging

8 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce plunging

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does plunging mean?

1. verbMoving suddenly and steeply downward, or dropping rapidly in value or amount.
2. adjectiveCut low or sloping steeply downward, especially describing a deep neckline.

Plunging in a sentence

• verb

  The share price kept plunging throughout the afternoon.

• adjective

  She chose a dress with a plunging neckline for the gala.

• verb

  The diver was plunging toward the bottom of the reef.

• adjective

  The gown had a deeply plunging neckline at the front.

Where does plunging come from?

Language of origin: French

This is the present participle of the verb 'plunge', which English took from the Old French 'plongier', meaning 'to thrust or dive into water'. That French verb grew out of the Vulgar Latin 'plumbicare', literally 'to heave the lead', from the Latin 'plumbum', meaning 'lead', the heavy metal. Sailors once dropped a lead weight on a line to test the depth of water, so the idea of something heavy dropping straight down sits at the very heart of the word. English adopted it around the 1300s, and the sense soon widened from diving into water to any sudden steep descent, whether of prices, temperatures, or a neckline. The 'g' before the '-ing' is the spelling point to watch: 'plunge' keeps its soft 'g' sound, but it drops the silent final 'e' before adding the suffix, giving 'plunging' rather than 'plungeing'.

How the word is built

• plunge (from plungier: to thrust down)
• -ing (present participle / adjectival suffix)