tête-à-tête

[ tet-uh-tet, teyt-uh-teyt; French te-ta-tet ]

noun

, plural tête-à-têtes, French tête-à-tête.

1. a private conversation or interview, usually between two people.
2. Also called vis-à-vis. a sofa shaped like an S so two people are able to converse face to face.

adjective

1. of, between, or for two persons together without others.

adverb

1. (of two persons) together in private:

   to sit tête-à-tête.

tête-à-tête

/ ˌteɪtəˈteɪt /

noun

1. 1. a private conversation between two people
   2. ( as modifier )

      a tête-à-tête conversation

2. a small sofa for two people, esp one that is S-shaped in plan so that the sitters are almost face to face

adverb

1. intimately; in private

tête-à-tête

1. An intimate meeting or conversation between two individuals. From French, meaning “head to head.”

Word History and Origins

Origin of tête-à-tête¹

First recorded in 1690–1700; from French: literally, “head to head”

Word History and Origins

Origin of tête-à-tête¹

C17: from French, literally: head to head

Example Sentences

The latter concluded from their frequent tete-a-tete at the piano and in corners that some love-making was going on between them.

From Project Gutenberg

We are shut up together, tete-a-tete, which is so much the better or so much the worse.

From Project Gutenberg

Our walks, tete-a-tete, on the outside of the city, where I magnificently spent eight or ten sous in each guinguette.

From Project Gutenberg

One evening after having supped tete-a-tete we went to walk in the garden by a fine moonlight.

From Project Gutenberg

There was silence, a longer silence than usually occurred in tete-a-tete dinners between Lord and Lady Roehampton.

From Project Gutenberg