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APLOMB

 - 5 dictionary results

a⋅plomb

  [uh-plom, uh-pluhm]
–noun
1. imperturbable self-possession, poise, or assurance.
2. the perpendicular, or vertical, position.
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Origin:
1820–30; < F à plomb according to the plummet, i.e., straight up and down, vertical position

Synonyms:
1. composure, equanimity, imperturbability.

Antonyms:
1. confusion, discomposure; doubt, uncertainty.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2010.
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a·plomb   (ə-plŏm', ə-plŭm')   
n.  Self-confident assurance; poise. See Synonyms at confidence.

[French, from Old French a plomb, perpendicularly : a, according to (from Latin ad-; see ad-) + plomb, lead weight (from Latin plumbum, lead).]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Main Entry:  aplomb1
Part of Speech:  n
Definition:  great self-confidence; self-assuredness
Etymology:  Middle French a plomb 'according to the plummet'
Main Entry:  aplomb2
Part of Speech:  n
Definition:  perpendicularity
Etymology:  Middle French a plomb 'according to the plummet'
Dictionary.com's 21st Century Lexicon
Copyright © 2003-2010 Dictionary.com, LLC
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Word Origin & History

aplomb 
"assurance, confidence," 1828, from Fr., lit. "perpendicularity," from phrase à plomb "poised upright, balanced," lit. "on the plumb line," from L. plumbum "(the metal) lead" (see plumb), of which the weight at the end of the line was made.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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