aplomb

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See also: Aplomb

English

Etymology

Borrowed from French aplomb.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /əˈplʌm/, /əˈplɒm/
  • Audio (US):(file)

Noun

aplomb (usually uncountable, plural aplombs)

  1. Self-confidence; poise; composure.
    • 1960, P[elham] G[renville] Wodehouse, chapter XV, in Jeeves in the Offing, London: Herbert Jenkins, →OCLC:
      “Oh, Wooster,” he said, “I was talking to my mother a night or two ago.” “Oh, yes?” I said, with a slight wave of the hand intended to indicate that if he liked to talk to his mother anywhere, all over the house, he had my approval. “She tells me you are interested in mice.” I didn't like the trend the conversation was taking, but I preserved my aplomb. “Why, yes, fairly interested.” “She says she found you trying to catch one in my bedroom!”
    • 1961, Richard Bellman, Adaptive Control Processes: A Guided Tour, Princeton University Press (1961), p. 197
      We can handle functions of a few variables with some aplomb and view sets of quantities totalling IO6 or IO7 with sangfroid.
    • 2000, Elizabeth Berg, Range of Motion:
      They have a seven-year-old son named Timothy, never called Timmy or Tim; a little scrawny guy who wears thick glasses already, and who tucks his striped T-shirts into his pants with the aplomb of a silver-templed CEO.
    • 2011 September 24, Ben Dirs, “Rugby World Cup 2011: England 67-3 Romania”, in BBC Sport‎[1]:
      Fly-half Jonny Wilkinson put his below-par performance against Argentina behind him with a fine first-half showing, slotting four kicks from six and controlling his back-line with aplomb, while England's three-quarters were brimming with life and clinical with their execution.
    His nonchalance and aplomb during hard times have always been his best character trait.
  2. (ballet) The apparent elegance and precision exhibited by a confident, accomplished dancer.
  3. The perpendicular; perpendicularity.

Translations

Further reading

French

Etymology

From fil à plomb (“plumb line”).

Pronunciation

Noun

aplomb m (plural aplombs)

  1. vertical line, as measured with a plumb line
    Bien prendre l’aplomb. ― To take well the plumb-line.
  2. (by extension) stability, equilibrium, uprightness, plumb
    Ce mur tient bien son aplomb, a perdu son aplomb.
    This wall holds its plumb / has lost its plumb.
  3. (figurative) aplomb, self-confidence

Descendants

  • → Catalan: aplom
  • → English: aplomb
  • → Esperanto: aplombo
  • → German: Aplomb
  • → Italian: aplomb
  • → Portuguese: aplomb
  • → Russian: апломб (aplomb)

Further reading

Italian

Etymology

Borrowed from French aplomb.

Noun

aplomb m (invariable)

  1. aplomb, self-confidence, poise

Portuguese

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from French aplomb.

Noun

aplomb m (usually uncountable, plural aplombs)

  1. aplomb; self-confidence
    Synonyms: autoconfiança, segurança
  2. (ballet) aplomb (elegance and precision exhibited by a dancer)

Romanian

Etymology

From French aplomb.

Noun

aplomb n (uncountable)

  1. aplomb

Declension

declension of aplomb (singular only)
singular
n gender indefinite articulation definite articulation
nominative/accusative (un) aplomb aplombul
genitive/dative (unui) aplomb aplombului
vocative aplombule

Swedish

Etymology

Borrowed from French aplomb.

Noun

aplomb c

  1. (rare) aplomb

Declension

Declension of aplomb 
Uncountable
Indefinite Definite
Nominative aplomb aplomben — —
Genitive aplombs aplombens — —

References

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