Liaison

WORD OF THE DAY

liaison / noun / lee-AY-zahn

Definition
1: a binding or thickening agent used in cooking
2a: a close bond or connection
2b: interrelationship
2c: an illicit sexual relationship
2d: affair
3a: communication for establishing and maintaining mutual understanding and cooperation (as between parts of an armed force)
3b: a person who establishes and maintains communication for mutual understanding and cooperation
4: the pronunciation of an otherwise absent consonant sound at the end of the first of two consecutive words the second of which begins with a vowel sound and follows without pause

Examples
"It expects to have one staffer stationed in Duluth to begin with, who'll lead the preservation work here and also serve as a liaison to city councils and others."
— editorial, The Duluth (Minnestoa) News-Tribune, 22 Feb. 2022

 Today's army works on rotations; soldiers are deployed for about a year and then (in principle at least) they come home. When that happens, local liaisons and intelligence relationships must be rebuilt.
— James K. Galbraith, Mother Jones, March/April 2006

Did You Know?
If you took French in school, you might remember that liaison is the word for the phenomenon that causes a silent consonant at the end of one word to sound like it begins the next word when that word begins with a vowel, so that a phrase like beaux arts sounds like \boh zahr\.
We can thank French for the origin of the term, as well.
Liaison comes from Middle French lier, meaning "to bind or tie."
Other English senses of liaison apply it to all kinds of bonds—from people who work to connect different groups to the kind of relationship sometimes entered into by two people who are attracted to one another.