vis-à-vis

/ˌviː.zɑː ˈviː/ French Origin General

Original Word

vis-à-vis

French

Entered English

18th century

First recorded usage in English

The Story Behind "vis-à-vis"

From French 'vis-à-vis', literally 'face to face'. Used in English as a preposition meaning 'in relation to' or 'compared with', and as an adverb meaning 'face to face'. The term comes from the French word 'vis' (face).

Example Usage

"The company's position vis-à-vis its competitors has improved significantly."

All French Loanwords Look Up in Dictionary

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