Rendezvous

Rendezvous

Noun & Verb · /ˈrɒndɪvuː/ · a pre-arranged meeting at a specific time and place; the place chosen for such a meeting

Definition

A rendezvous is a meeting that has been arranged in advance, at a precise location and time. It carries an air of intention and secrecy — two people who knew where to find each other when the moment came. As a verb, to rendezvous means to meet at the agreed point. In military use, units rendezvous before an operation. In space, spacecraft rendezvous in orbit. In everyday life, two friends rendezvous at a café.

Origin

Directly from French rendez-vous — literally "present yourselves", the imperative plural of se rendre (to go to, to present oneself). English adopted it in the late 16th century, first in military and naval contexts — a rendezvous point was where troops or ships were ordered to assemble. The romantic connotation came later, in the 17th and 18th centuries, as the word entered civilian and literary use.