cul-de-plomb

\ky də plɔ̃\

/\ky də plɔ̃\/ noun

The verdict

“cul-de-plomb” is uncommon French (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency French
12
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Personne lourde.

Corpus desk

Index FR-cul-de-plomb · cul-de-plomb · French

cul-de-plomb · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 12 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "C" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Key facts for cul-de-plomb
PropertyValue
Headwordcul-de-plomb
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\ky də plɔ̃\
Letters12
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Longue queue: rang de « cul-de-plomb » en français

cul-de-plombreste hors des 100.000 mots français les plus fréquents, dans la longue queue du vocabulaire technique, archaïque ou rare, là où le doute d'orthographe frappe.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

cul-de-plomb is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed \ky də plɔ̃\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for cul-de-plomb, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

This entry carries no recorded etymology, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct French form is cul-de-plomb, spelled C-U-L---D-E---P-L-O-M-B.

Definition

  1. 1
    Personne lourde.
  2. 2
    Personne sédentaire, pantouflarde, routinière.
  3. 3
    Étudiant appliqué et besogneux.
  4. 4
    Employé de bureau casanier.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how cul-de-plomb appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Il doit peser dans les cent vingt kilos. Et, bien qu’il ne soit pas très vieux, il a des varices. En classe, il ne peut pas rester debout. Il s’assied tout le temps. Je crois même qu’on la surnommé « cul de plomb ».
  2. Un bon payeur ne craint point de donner des gages, dit Sancho Pança, eh bien, c’est que je me trouve dans une toute autre position ; tu sais quel cul de plomb fait mon père, oui vraiment, car tous les jours je lui disais : Quand irons-nous aux Andelys, quand irons-nous aux Andelys ?

Synonyms

This word in other languages

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "cul-de-plomb"?
"cul-de-plomb" is spelled C-U-L---D-E---P-L-O-M-B. The IPA pronunciation is \ky də plɔ̃\.
What does "cul-de-plomb" mean?
As a noun, "cul-de-plomb" means: Personne lourde.
How do you pronounce "cul-de-plomb"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "cul-de-plomb" is \ky də plɔ̃\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "cul-de-plomb" come from?
"cul-de-plomb" is a French word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list