Word of the Day

Thursday, October 26, 2006

rapport

\ra-POR; ruh-\ , noun;

A relation, especially one characterized by sympathetic understanding, emotional affinity, or mutual trust.

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Quotes:

He established a tremendous rapport with younger patients and routinely skipped classes and missed tests to take children to the circus or for rides in his convertible, often stopping for ice cream at Frank Monaco's drugstore on the South Side.

-- James T. Fisher, Dr. America

Scott and Shackleton could not have been temperamentally more dissimilar and had virtually no rapport.

-- Caroline Alexander, The Endurance

The two men shared similar backgrounds and enjoyed a good rapport: both were born to wealth and influence, Cambridge educated, connoisseurs of culture, and world-class in knowledge, ability, and outlook.

-- George Perkovich, India's Nuclear Bomb

Although we are not very old friends, we struck up a rapport on that trip which was more than that of mere shipboard acquaintances.

-- James Hamilton-Paterson, Three Miles Down

Origin:

Rapport comes from French, from Old French, from raporter, "to bring back," from re-, "back, again" (from Latin) + aporter, "to bring" (from Latin apportare, from ad-, "to" + portare, "to carry").