(pronounced DAH-pehl-gang-er)

For years I was confused by this spooky, umlaut-encrusted word. As you might imagine, the term is German in origin (doppel = double), and it has a few definitions that are all variations on one another: an alter ego, one having the same name as another, a ghostly equivalent of a living person, or one’s double. The latter definition is the one referenced in the example sentence and the one most commonly used.

Example: Veronica wasn’t sure if it was a good or bad omen that her interviewer (and possible future boss) at the showroom was her doppelgänger.