entry
aplomb
/əˈplɒm/Self-assured composure and graceful confidence
From Latin plumb (Lead).
from Latin plumbum "(the metal) lead" (see plumb (n.)), of which the weight at the end of the line was made. The staple...
from French aplomb "self-possession," literally "perpendicularity" (16c.)
+1 more sourceWord Ancestry
from Latin plumbum "(the metal) lead" (see plumb (n.)), of which the weight at the end of the line was made. The staple...
from French aplomb "self-possession," literally "perpendicularity" (16c.)
+1 more sourcePicture a mason in sixteenth-century France holding a string with a lump of lead dangling at the end: gravity draws a perfectly honest vertical line. That lump was Latin plumbum, and its name survives in French à plomb, “on the plumb,” which became aplomb. The leap from vertical accuracy to emotional steadiness is wonderfully physical: a person with aplomb does not wobble, tilt, or get knocked off balance. By 1828, English had adopted the word for self-assurance; Emerson later used the archetypal “man of aplomb” in 1875, imagining someone who could sit amid youthful panic and fire off his words “like a bullet.” Ballet keeps the older image alive, using aplomb for unwavering stability in a vertical pose—so confidence, in this word, is essentially good posture with a lead weight underneath.
The Story
Picture a mason in sixteenth-century France holding a string with a lump of lead dangling at the end: gravity draws a perfectly honest vertical line. That lump was Latin plumbum, and its name survives in French à plomb, “on the plumb,” which became aplomb. The leap from vertical accuracy to emotional steadiness is wonderfully physical: a person with aplomb does not wobble, tilt, or get knocked off balance. By 1828, English had adopted the word for self-assurance; Emerson later used the archetypal “man of aplomb” in 1875, imagining someone who could sit amid youthful panic and fire off his words “like a bullet.” Ballet keeps the older image alive, using aplomb for unwavering stability in a vertical pose—so confidence, in this word, is essentially good posture with a lead weight underneath.
Modern Usage
Informal usage meaning stylish originality, coolness, or an impressive accomplishment
Notable References
- Urban Dictionary entries use aplomb for originality, coolness, or a great accomplishment
Kin & Kindred
From 'plumb'·Lead; a plumb line used to establish true vertical
Derived Terms
English words from this root
Sources
Etymonline
Free Dictionary
Urban Dictionary
Wikipedia
Wiktionary