plunger

English

Etymology

From plunge +‎ -er.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈplʌnd͡ʒə/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈplʌnd͡ʒɚ/

• Audio (AU)

  (file)

Noun

plunger (plural plungers)

1. A device that is used to remove blockages from the drain of a basin or tub, by suction.
2. The internal piece of a syringe that pushes out or pulls in any contents.
3. The sliding activator of an exploder, an electrical generator used to trigger electrical detonators such as blasting caps.
4. Certain equipment for brewing coffee.
   1. The part of a cafetière that is pushed down to remove grounds from coffee.
   2. A cafetière, through abbreviation of coffee plunger.
5. One who plunges; a diver.
6. A horse that plunges, or throws itself suddenly forward.
7. (military) A cavalryman.
8. A device similar to a piston but without a mechanism; a long solid cylinder used, instead of a piston or bucket, as a forcer in pumps.
9. The moving portion of a solenoid.
10. (pinball) The spring-loaded assembly that propels the ball onto the table.
11. (dated, slang) A reckless gambler or gamble.
    • 1925, John Dos Passos, Manhattan Transfer, New York, N.Y., London: Harper & Brothers, →OCLC, 2nd section, page 146:

      Well I suppose there's not one of you gentlemen here who hasnt^[sic] at some time or other taken a plunger, and how many of you hasnt^[sic] come back sadder and wiser.

12. (pottery) A boiler in which clay is beaten by a wheel to a creamy consistency.
    • 1862, Examples of the Architecture of the Victorian Age […] , (Please provide the book title or journal name):

      Another part of the invention relates to making articles of earthenware by a plunger, which is forced into a mould

13. (firearms) The firing pin of a breechloader.

Synonyms

• (device): plumber's helper (colloquial), plumber's friend (colloquial)

Derived terms

• autoplunger
• coffee plunger
• plunger mute
• plunger pump

 

Translations

device for removing blockages by suction

• Albanian: plunzher
• Arabic: مِكْبَس غَطَّاس m (mikbas ḡaṭṭās)
• Belarusian: ва́нтуз m (vántuz), ванту́з m (vantúz)
• Bulgarian: венду́за f (vendúza), венту́за (bg) f (ventúza)
• Catalan: desembossador (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 皮揣子 (píchuāizi), 搋子 (zh) (chuāizi), 馬桶栓／马桶栓 (mǎtǒngshuān), 廁通／厕通 (cètōng)

• Czech: zvon (cs) m
• Danish: svupper c
• Dutch: ontstopper (nl) m
• Esperanto: suĉkloŝo
• Estonian: vaakumpump, WC-pump
• Faroese: súgvikoppur m
• Finnish: viemäripumppu
• French: ventouse (fr) f
• German: Saugglocke (de) f, Ausgussreiniger m, Abflussstampfer (de) m, Gummisauger m, Pümpel (de) m
• Greek: ξεβουλωτήρι n (xevoulotíri)
• Hebrew: פּוֹמפָּה (he) f (pómpa), פַּמְפֶּמֶת (he) f (pampémet)
• Hungarian: pumpa (hu), vécépumpa
• Icelandic: drullusokkur (is) m
• Italian: sturalavandini (it) m, sturalavandino (it) m
• Japanese: ラバーカップ (rabā kappu)
• Korean: 뚫어뻥 (ttureoppeong)
• Latvian: vantūzis m
• Lithuanian: unitazo pompa f, tualeto pompa f
• Macedonian: отнувалка f (otnuvalka)
• Malay: please add this translation if you can
• Maori: poungote
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: slukåpner m

• Polish: przepychacz (pl) m
• Portuguese: desentupidor (pt)
• Romanian: pompă de WC f
• Russian: ва́нтуз (ru) m (vántuz), ванту́з (ru) m (vantúz)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: одчепљѝва̄ч m

  Roman: odčepljìvāč (sh) m

• Slovak: zvon m
• Slovene: odmaševalnik m
• Spanish: desatascador m, chupón (es) m (Venezuela), destupidor m (Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Nicaragua), sopapa (es) f (Argentina, Chile)
• Swedish: vaskrensare (sv) c
• Tagalog: pangbomba sa kubeta
• Turkish: pompa (tr), lavabo pompası, vantuz (tr)
• Ukrainian: ва́нтуз (uk) m (vántuz), ванту́з (uk) m (vantúz)

internal piece of syringe

• Bulgarian: бута́ло (bg) n (butálo)
• Finnish: mäntä (fi)
• Portuguese: êmbolo (pt) m
• Swedish: kolv (sv) c

sliding activator of an exploder

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: please add this translation if you can

• Finnish: mäntä (fi)
• Russian: плу́нжер (ru) m (plúnžer), ска́лка (ru) f (skálka), по́ршень (ru) m (póršenʹ)

part of cafetière

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: please add this translation if you can

• Finnish: mäntä (fi)
• German: Kolben (de) m
• Russian: френч-пре́сс m (frɛnč-préss)

one who plunges

• Bulgarian: гмурка́ч m (gmurkáč)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: please add this translation if you can

• Esperanto: plonĝisto, subakvisto, skafandristo
• Finnish: sukeltaja (fi)
• French: plongeur (fr) m
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: dykker m

• Russian: ныря́льщик (ru) m (nyrjálʹščik), ныря́льщица (ru) f (nyrjálʹščica), водола́з (ru) m (vodoláz) (frogman)
• Swedish: dykare (sv) c

Old French

Verb

plunger

1. (Anglo-Norman) Alternative form of plongier

Conjugation

This verb conjugates as a first-group verb ending in -er. In the present tense an extra supporting e is needed in the first-person singular indicative and throughout the singular subjunctive, and the third-person singular subjunctive ending -t is lost. In addition, g becomes j before an a or an o to keep the /dʒ/ sound intact. Old French conjugation varies significantly by date and by region. The following conjugation should be treated as a guide.

    Conjugation of plunger (see also Appendix:Old French verbs)

		simple			compound
infinitive		plunger			avoir plungé
gerund		en plunjant			gerund of avoir + past participle
present participle		plunjant
past participle		plungé
person		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
indicative		jo	tu	il	nos	vos	il
simple tenses	present	plunge	plunges	plunge	plunjons	plungez	plungent
	imperfect	plunjoie, plungeie, plunjoe, plungeve	plunjoies, plungeies, plunjoes, plungeves	plunjoit, plungeit, plunjot, plungeve	plungiiens, plungiens	plungiiez, plungiez	plunjoient, plungeient, plunjoent, plungevent
	preterite	plunjai	plunjas	plunja	plunjames	plunjastes	plungerent
	future	plungerai	plungeras	plungera	plungerons	plungeroiz, plungereiz, plungerez	plungeront
	conditional	plungeroie, plungereie	plungeroies, plungereies	plungeroit, plungereit	plungeriiens, plungeriens	plungeriiez, plungeriez	plungeroient, plungereient
compound tenses	present perfect	present tense of avoir + past participle
	pluperfect	imperfect tense of avoir + past participle
	past anterior	preterite tense of avoir + past participle
	future perfect	future tense of avoir + past participle
	conditional perfect	conditional tense of avoir + past participle
subjunctive		que jo	que tu	qu’il	que nos	que vos	qu’il
simple tenses	present	plunge	plunges	plunge	plunjons	plungez	plungent
	imperfect	plunjasse	plunjasses	plunjast	plungissons, plungissiens	plungissoiz, plungissez, plungissiez	plunjassent
compound tenses	past	present subjunctive of avoir + past participle
	pluperfect	imperfect subjunctive of avoir + past participle
imperative		–	tu	–	nos	vos	–
		—	plunge	—	plunjons	plungez	—

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French plunger.

Noun

plunger n (plural plungere)

1. plunger

Declension

Declension of plunger

	singular		plural
	indefinite articulation	definite articulation	indefinite articulation	definite articulation
nominative/accusative	(un) plunger	plungerul	(niște) plungere	plungerele
genitive/dative	(unui) plunger	plungerului	(unor) plungere	plungerelor
vocative	plungerule		plungerelor