aplomb
/æ-/ noun
Forms aplombs
- noun Self-confidence; poise; composure. “His nonchalance and aplomb during hard times have always been his best character trait.”
- noun (ballet) The apparent elegance and precision exhibited by a confident, accomplished dancer.
- noun The perpendicular; perpendicularity.
Synonyms
Etymology
Unadapted borrowing from French aplomb (“plumb line”).
Webster’s 1913
- noun Assurance of manner or of action; self-possession.
Etymology [F., lit. perpendicularity; plomb lead. See Plumb.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “aplomb”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details