rapprochement
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of rapprochement
First recorded in 1790–1800; from French, equivalent to rapproche(r) “to bring near, bring together,” from r(e)- + approcher + -ment; see origin at re-, approach, -ment
Explanation
Rapprochement is the reestablishment of a happy relationship or arrangement. A peace treaty between warring nations is a kind of rapprochement. People who usually get along sometimes come into conflict: formerly allied nations go to war, friends feud, and spouses divorce. If a conflict ends and the parties go back to being on good terms, they achieve rapprochement. This term is most often used in international politics — for example, when two countries make peace after a long war, that's rapprochement. The word means "reunion" or "reconciliation" in French, and its root is rapprocher, "to bring near."
Vocabulary lists containing rapprochement
English Words Derived from French, List 8
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This Week In Words: January 18–24, 2020
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Vocabulary from the Twelfth Republican Debate, March 10, 2016
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Rapprochement with Egypt and even a bid to normalize ties with Syria are also underway, just 12 years after the start of the Syrian war.
From Reuters • May 5, 2023
Rapprochement between Washington and Beijing in 1972 was largely drive by their mutual distrust of the Soviet Union.
From Seattle Times • Feb. 27, 2022
Offering a traditional Persian silk carpet, named "The Rapprochement of Cultures", as a gift to UNESCO, Zarif took to the stand to deliver a 10-minute speech in English.
From Reuters • Nov. 6, 2013
Rapprochement was further advanced by Richard Nixon's European trip in February, which he used to affirm both his personal admiration for the general and the continuing U.S. friendship for France.
From Time Magazine Archive
"Rapprochement between Catholic and Protestant churches can come," says Lutheran Theologian J�rgen Winterhager of Berlin, "not despite but through the Reformation."
From Time Magazine Archive
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
