Plumber

This familiar word for the artisan who fixes the piping etc in our homes has been around since The Middle Ages. Plumbum is the Latin for lead and the first artisans who worked exclusively with this metal became known as plumbers because, for a long time, lead was the only material available for piping. By the 17th century, most of the wealthy, upper classes had homes with plumbing - especially as zinc, tin and other alloys came into use and replaced lead.