Where does the word plumbing come from?

Plumbing is a normal term used by Americans on a day-to-day basis, but where does the word plumbing come from? Where did the plumbers who repair our clogged drains and broken pipes get their titles? The answer may very well surprise you.

The term plumber and plumbing doesn’t come from anything in the modern world, it actually comes from ancient Roman times. When the Roman Empire was the epitome of civilization, they used lead pipes within their cities. The lead was called plumbum. Lead was used for many things within the Roman Empire. Lead was used on the roofs of Roman buildings. The drainage pipes were also made of lead. The famous Roman baths also used lead pipes to bring them water. Then as medieval times progressed, anyone who worked with lead was called plumbarius. Later, the word for anyone who works with pipes, especially water and sewer pipes, was shortened from plumbarius to the modern word plumber.

As a side note, this is also why the abbreviation for lead on the periodic table of elements is Pb.

Today, if you look in the dictionary under the word plumber, you will find a simple definition that explains that a plumber is one who installs and repairs pipes and plumbing.

When you search for plumbing, you will see a definition of what a plumbing system really is. In most definitions, plumbing includes three aspects of plumbing systems which are fixtures, appliances, and of course pipes. Plumbing can also include not only water and sewer, but also gas pipes.

Today plumbing is a very common job. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are approximately four hundred and twenty thousand plumbers working in the United States of America. Most plumbers earn just over $ 20 an hour and just over $ 46,000 a year. Plumbers don’t need a college degree. Most plumbers have a high school education and later trained through an apprenticeship. There are no federal plumbing licensing laws, but each state has its own regulations on how plumbers must be licensed and educated within their jurisdiction.

So plumbing is very popular today as a career, but as popular as it is in the United States, the fact that the plumbing trade and the name that goes with it come from much further back in time will never change the fact that back to the time of the Roman Empire.