aplomb

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The Word of the Day for September 11 is: 

aplomb   \uh-PLAHM\   noun
          : complete and confident composure or self-assurance : poise 

Example sentence:
     Never once betraying the fact that this was her first sales trip, Rachel 
delivered the product presentation with the aplomb of a veteran.

Did you know?
          In the 19th century, English speakers borrowed “aplomb,” meaning 
“composure,” from French. “Aplomb” can also mean “perpendicularity” in French 
and comes from the phrase “a plomb,” meaning “perpendicularly” or literally 
"according to the plummet." A plummet is a lead weight that is attached to a 
line and used to determine vertical alignment. Not surprisingly, “aplomb” and 
English words like “plumber” and the verb “plumb” ("to measure depth" and "to 
explore critically and minutely") ultimately trace back to the Latin word for 
lead, “plumbum.” 





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