vis-à-vis
Pronunciation: (vē"zu-vē' Fr. vē-za-vē'), [key]
— adv., adj., prep., n., pl. -vis
—adv.
- face to face: They sat vis-à-vis at the table.
—adj.
- face-to-face: a vis-à-vis encounter.
- (of a coin) having two portraits facing each other.
—prep.
- in relation to; compared with: income vis-à-vis expenditures.
- facing; opposite: They were now vis-à-vis the most famous painting in the Louvre.
—n.
- a person face to face with or situated opposite to another: He offered a cigarette to his vis-à-vis.
- a date at a social affair: She introduced her vis-à-vis to the hostess.
- a person of equal authority, rank, or the like: my vis-à-vis in the Louisville office.
- a carriage in which the occupants sit face to face.
- tête-à-tête (def. 2).
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.