liaison

Etymology

Borrowed from French liaison (“binding”), from Latin ligātiō (stem ligation-) (English ligation), derived from ligō (“I bind”), from Proto-Indo-European *leyǵ- (“to bind”). Doublet of ligation.

noun

1. Communication between two parties or groups.
2. Cooperation, working together.
3. A relayer of information between two forces in an army or during war.
4. Any person who relays information between two groups or organizations.
   As a community liaison, I work to make sure the general public knows about our organization's work.
5. A tryst; a romantic meeting.
6. (figurative) An illicit sexual relationship or affair.
   ostriches in breeding season are relentlessly promiscuous, with both males and females seeking liaisons with multiple partners. August 4, 2020, Richard Conniff, “They may look goofy, but ostriches are nobody’s fool”, in National Geographic Magazine
7. (phonology) Fusion of two consecutive words and the manner in which this occurs.
   1. (phonology) The pronunciation of a normally silent final consonant when the next word begins with a vowel.

verb

1. (proscribed) To liaise.