liaison

<font size="-1" face="arial, helvetica"> <p> <strong> <font color="#000066">Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for April 10, 2022 is:</font> </strong> </p> <p> <strong>liaison</strong> &#149; \lee-AY-zahn\&nbsp; &#149; <em>noun</em><br /> <p>A <em>liaison</em> can mean "a person who helps organizations or groups to work together and provide information to each other" or "a close bond or connection."</p> <p>// She acts as a <em>liaison</em> between the mayor's office and city schools.</p> <p>// The Human Resources Department has a close <em>liaison</em> with employees.</p> </p> <p> <strong>Examples:</strong><br /> <p>"It expects to have one staffer stationed in Duluth to begin with, who'll lead the preservation work here and also serve as a <em>liaison</em> to city councils and others." — editorial, <em>The Duluth (Minnestoa) News-Tribune</em>, 22 Feb. 2022</p> </p> <p> <strong>Did you know?</strong><br /> <p>If you took French in school, you might remember that <em>liaison</em> 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 <em><a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/beaux%20arts">beaux arts</a></em> sounds like \boh zahr&#92;. We can thank French for the origin of the term, as well. <em>Liaison</em> comes from Middle French <em>lier</em>, meaning "to bind or tie." Other English senses of <em>liaison</em> 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.</p> <br /><br /> </p> </font>