English
liaison
Liaison comes from French liaison ‘binding’, from Latin ligō ‘to bind’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *leyǵ-.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*leyǵ-1‘to bind’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEligō1‘to bind’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEligātiō1‘binding, bandage’
- Frenchc. 1600–presentliaison1‘binding’
- Englishearliest quotation 1759liaison1
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, English liaison
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1759, William Verral, XV. Des perdreaux au celery blanc. Partridges with celery sa: “[…]prepare a liaison, or four or five yolks of…”.
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*leyǵ-Wiktionary, English liaison‘to bind’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEligōWiktionary, English liaison‘to bind’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEligātiōWiktionary, English liaison‘binding, bandage’
- Frenchc. 1600–presentliaisonWiktionary, English liaison‘binding’
- Englishearliest quotation 1759liaisonWiktionary, English liaison. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1759, William Verral, XV. Des perdreaux au celery blanc. Partridges with celery sa: “[…]prepare a liaison, or four or five yolks of…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *leyǵ- ‘to bind’
through Latin ligō ‘to bind’
league, religious, religion, ally, alloy, liable, ligament, lien, ligand, ligature, religiosity, obligate, legato, 14 more
through Latin ligātiō ‘binding, bandage’
Today it means
noun A thickening for sauces, typically based on egg yolks.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “liaison”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *leyǵ- / liaison