liaison

[ lee-ey-zawn, lee-uh-zon, -zuhnor, often, ley-; lee-ey-zuhn, -zon; French lye-zawn ]

noun

, plural li·ai·sons [lee-ey-, zawnz, lee, -, uh, -zonz, -z, uh, nz, ley, -, lee-, ey, -z, uh, nz, -zonz, lye-, zawn].

1. the contact or connection maintained by communications between units of the armed forces or of any other organization in order to ensure concerted action, cooperation, etc.
2. a person who initiates and maintains such a contact or connection.
3. an illicit sexual relationship.
4. Cooking. the process of thickening sauces, soups, etc., as by the addition of eggs, cream, butter, or flour.
5. Phonetics. a speech-sound redistribution, occurring especially in French, in which an otherwise silent final consonant is articulated as the initial sound of a following syllable that begins with a vowel or with a silent h, as the z- and n- sounds in Je suis un homme [zh, uh, sweez, œ, -, nawm].

liaison

/ lɪˈeɪzɒn /

noun

1. communication and contact between groups or units
2. modifier of or relating to liaison between groups or units

   a liaison officer

3. a secretive or adulterous sexual relationship
4. one who acts as an agent between parties; intermediary
5. the relationship between military units necessary to ensure unity of purpose
6. (in the phonology of several languages, esp French) the pronunciation of a normally silent consonant at the end of a word immediately before another word commencing with a vowel, in such a way that the consonant is taken over as the initial sound of the following word. Liaison is seen between French ils (il) and ont ( ɔ̃ ), to give ils ont ( il zɔ̃ )
7. any thickening for soups, sauces, etc, such as egg yolks or cream

Word History and Origins

Origin of liaison¹

First recorded in 1640–50; from French, Old French, from Latin ligātiōn-, stem of ligātiō “a binding”; ligation

Word History and Origins

Origin of liaison¹

C17: via French from Old French, from lier to bind, from Latin ligāre

Example Sentences

Close collaboration with the club's support liaison officer and ticketing manager has helped grow the supporter base, while referring to the team as Hammarby, rather than Hammarby women, sends the clearest message of all.

From BBC

He saw active service in Northern Ireland, served in a peacekeeping mission in Cyprus, and as a liaison officer in the Gulf War.

From BBC

A San José State professor who was serving as a liaison for students demonstrating against the Israel-Hamas war was suspended, claims ‘academic freedom suppression.’

From Los Angeles Times

“But I don’t think Andy knew about that,” she says of the brief liaison with “a very attractive Irishman.”

From Los Angeles Times

But opposition leaders have cried foul about the fact there continued to be contact between that civil servant and her employers in the Scottish government - namely Mr Swinney - because she also acted in a “liaison” role.

From BBC

Related Words

• communication
• contact
• intermediary