liaison

[lee-ey-zawn, lee-uh-zon, -zuhn, ley-, lee-ey-zuhn, -zon, lye-zawn]

noun

plural

liaisons 

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

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

Clandestine officers - under operation name Mayland - followed him to regular liaisons at a secluded woodland patch of land near the busy M4 motorway where several drugs exchanges were caught on camera.

From BBC

She said reasonable adjustments in healthcare settings, including learning disability liaison nurses, helped.

From BBC

She is appointing Board of Public Works president Steve Kang to serve as a liaison between city bureaucracy and the film industry, she said Wednesday.

From Los Angeles Times

They also serve as liaisons to the White House and the National Security Council.

From Salon

Such teams typically include the principal, school secretary, community liaison, a child welfare and attendance clerk, and a social worker.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• communication 
• contact 
• intermediary 

When To Use

What does liaison mean?

A liaison is a person who acts to arrange and assist interaction between parties. A close synonym is intermediary. A more informal synonym is go-between.It can also refer to communication, interaction, or a meeting between such parties.The verb liaise comes from liaison and typically means to act as a liaison by doing such arranging, assisting, and communicating.But liaison is also used in several other, more specific contexts.In the context of the military, liaison refers to the contact or connection maintained by communications between units in order to ensure concerted action—or the person who maintains this contact.In cooking (especially classical French cooking), it can be used as a technical term for the process of thickening sauces, soups, and other dishes, such as by adding eggs, cream, butter, or flour.Liaison is also a somewhat formal term for a secretive sexual relationship, especially one in which at least one of the partners is cheating on their spouse. A much more common word for this is affair.Example: In my work as an interdepartmental liaison, I’ve learned that communication and trust are keys to success.