Why is a plumber called "a plumber"?

Question

When a wall is vertical it is said to be plumb. At one time was a plumber more of a framer? If so when did a "plumber" begin to work with water supplies? Just another mystery of life.

Answer 1

The Latin word for lead is "plumbum".  So, "plumb" is a root word for that heavy metal.

You can tell whether a framework is plumb by using a plumb bob, which is a lead weight on a string.

These days, we use reasonably safe materials like PVC and copper, but ancient plumbing was made out of lead pipes.  Which meant that a plumber was a lead-worker.

The ancient Romans loved their salt.  We know this because salt mines were big business, and our word "salary" comes from the Latin phrase for "salt money."  It's possible that one of the many reasons for the high value of salt in ancient Rome was all that original plumbing.  One of the symptoms for lead poisoning is a craving for salt.

Answer 2

wen man fell inlove with the word plumber=D